


Intertidal

by Banjkaz



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Abduction, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Background Relationships, Danger, Developing Relationship, Exploration, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fishing, Fluff, M/M, Magic, Memories, Minor Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rescue, Slow Build, Transformation, Underwater, Writing, do not copy to another site
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2020-07-09 08:11:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 35,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19884424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Banjkaz/pseuds/Banjkaz
Summary: Nishinoya Yuu has loved the ocean for his entire life - it's partly why he became a fisher on Ukai's crew, to stay close to it.  He's always wanted to get closer somehow, and when he accidentally snags the most beautiful man in one of his fishing nets his entire world opens up.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is my first Haikyuu fic and I'm SO excited about it! This idea grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I hope you enjoy this ride with me!

Dawn rises over the little port town of Karasuno, but Nishinoya Yuu is already awake. The waves lap along the edge of the beach, washing away the footprints he leaves as he walks back home. Despite the early hour, it’s the middle of July and the water is already warm as it cascades around his ankles. The sand gathers between Noya’s toes and makes him hyperaware of every step he takes.

Most people see him as loud, brash, and constantly on the move. And really, he is - and proud of it. But most people never see Noya in the mornings.

Noya’s always felt called to the sea, ever since he was a child. It’s why he takes these walks before dawn every morning - something about it just feels _right_ and it’s the best way to start his day. The few mornings something has come up, or he’s been too sick to walk, it’s left him in a funk all day.

That love is also why he holds a job as a fisher - the main export and the pride of Karasuno is its fish, and it’s a way for Noya to be close to the water as much as he can. Plus, he loves his crew and how easily they work together.

 _“Noyaaaaaaa!_ ”

Speaking of. He grins and turns towards the voice, waving at the speck that vaguely resembles his best friend on the hill. “ _Ryuuuuuuuu!_ ” he hollers back. “Is it that time already?!”

Tanaka Ryuunosuke gives him a thumbs up. “Hurry up or Ukai’s gonna have your head!”

He grimaces at that. Yeah, if there’s one person Noya doesn’t want to piss off, it’s Ukai Keishin. He’s known the man since he was a kid, but Ukai has never pulled his punches. Noya will receive no special consideration if he screws up. “Alright,” he calls. “I’m on my way!”

The fish are most plentiful in the early mornings, and they all always report just after dawn. The sun casts a golden glow over the water as Noya boards the _Crow’s Nest_. He sees Ukai standing by the railing, the black roots in his hair creeping out a little more than usual; it’s been a while since he’s had it done. Ukai turns back to face Noya and cigarette smoke curls around his face. “Cuttin’ it close this morning, eh?” he asks, though he’s smiling a bit.

“Yeah, yeah,” Noya sighs, leaning down to finish tugging on his boots - he’d haphazardly shoved them on before boarding.

“Starting your day with your daydreams, Yuu?” Hands plant on his shoulders and Noya tips his head back to grin at Tanaka Saeko. She’s Ryuu’s older sister and boy, has she _always_ acted like one to him, too. He kind of loves her for it, though. People around town say they don’t know whether Noya’s brash personality was always there or if some of it comes from Saeko, and Noya finds the answer doesn’t really matter.

“Would it really be me if I wasn’t by the water, sis?” he snickers before squirming out from under her hands. She knows about his morning routine and while she teases him lightly for it, there’s no malice to it.

“Yeah, yeah, we know,” Ukai cuts in. “Alright, guys, we’re burning daylight. Let’s go!”

Just as quickly they all fall into action. They work together like cogs in a well-oiled machine as the _Crow’s Nest_ casts off and heads out into the water where the fish are most plentiful. While she may be smaller than other ships that occasionally pass through, she’s sturdy and a product of the generations - Ukai inherited her from his grandfather, who inherited it from his father, who inherited it from someone that Noya doesn’t even know (and frankly it goes so far back it’s easy to lose track of how many great-greats have owned the ship). She’s been going strong for at least three generations, though has needed repairs over the years, too. Still, most of her original hull is still intact and that, to Noya, is the most impressive part of the _Crow’s Nest_ : her fortitude.

The next few hours are spent bringing in as many fish as they can. In the port town of Karasuno, everyone wants to eat their fish, and it’s the job of Ukai’s crew to provide it for them. They’re very careful not to overfish while still bringing in enough for the town and the delicate balance they thread is why they’re so good at their jobs. They trade banter back and forth over their hauls, laughing and ragging on each other. Pretty soon, though, Ukai makes the last call.

“Noya! Bring in whatever you’ve got in your net. Everyone else, start breaking it down!”

  
Noya grins as he uses all of his might to pull the weighty net up. He’s been doing this for years, but when he brings in a good haul like this a thrill runs through him like it’s the first time all over again. The sea air whips around him and the salt stings so good, and he feels so _alive_ getting to be this close to the ocean.

He’s used to all sorts of noises when fishing - creaking of the nets, flopping of the fish, squeaking of the pulley, Ukai’s cursing. But Noya frowns as he hears something he’s never heard before: a terrified gasp.

The frown remains on his face as he moves to tie off his end of the line to a post. What the hell? That noise was almost human, but there’s no way it could be. Nobody swims in these waters; the entire town knows that this is where the _Crow’s Nest_ docks and casts out. So what could have made that sound?

He peeks over the railing and his blood chills when he sees what he’s snagged. There’s a man with long brown hair on top of all of the fish and his eyes are wide, wet, and _terrified_. Of course anyone would be afraid to be caught in a net, but as Noya’s gaze travels a bit further down, he thinks he understands why.

This gorgeous man has a _tail._

“Holy shit,” Noya whispers, completely mesmerized by the glittering blue scales gleaming in the early morning sun. He’d thought all the merpeople died out - the entire town did, honestly. Nobody’s seen one in years - and he has one _in his net_.

Yet it never crosses Noya’s mind to keep reeling in, not with how scared the merman looks. His chest moves rapidly up and down, his gills flutter frantically, and - most heartbreaking of all - he twitches and flops around like the fish beneath him.

Noya’s mind is made up. Glancing back over his shoulder to make sure everyone else is busy, he leaps into action. He seizes his utility knife from its holster and leaps off the side of the boat to seize the rope. He’s thankful for his thick gloves as he slides down and lands on top of the point where the sides of the net come together. The merman looks up at him, and Noya feels terrible to see how badly he shakes. He angles his knife away so it doesn’t look as threatening and gives the other man a little smile. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. The mer makes a tiny, broken little noise and covers his face with his arms as if to protect himself. “I’m not gonna hurt you!” Noya quickly promises. To prove his words are true, he begins sawing away at the rope. “All I want is fish; I didn’t mean to catch you. I’ll have you out in just...a…”

He cuts vigorously and abruptly realizes the mistake he’s made when the rope begins to fray. “Oh shit,” he says right as the last fibers twist and snap, sending both men and dozens of fish plummeting into the water. Noya yells in surprise as he hits the water, meaning he inhales a huge mouthful of it. But Noya has been swimming his entire life and has _definitely_ taken on more than his fair share of water, so this is nothing new. He kicks back to the surface, immediately coughing up everything he’s just inhaled.

The sound of everything falling into the water has brought the attention of the others and they all lean over the railing. “Noya! What the hell?!” Ukai shouts. “That was a huge haul!”

His brain wracks for an answer. “Sorry!” he hollers back from the water, treading lightly. “Thought I saw something in the net.” Okay, that’s close enough.

“Saw _what?_ ” Saeko calls down. “What spooked you like that?!”

 _Shit_. He thinks harder. “Thought I saw a jellyfish,” is the first thing that comes out, and the answer’s as weak as the cheap beer Ukai drinks after a shift. He knows it, too, with how they’re all staring at him.

“Jesus, Noya,” Tanaka says with a roll of his eyes. “It's more scared of you than you are of it; you didn't _have_ to let go of an entire haul!”

_It's more scared of you than you are of it._

_Isn't that the truth,_ Noya thinks as he looks around. He can feel some of the fish he released swimming around his body before flying off into the depths of the water, but there's no sign of the merman with the beautiful blue tail. 

_I didn't imagine him, I know that._ And as he swims to meet the _Crow's Nest_ back at the dock, all Noya can think about is if he'll get a chance to see him again. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noya spends the next few days trying to find the merman again, but is someone searching for him just as hard?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kind comments so far - I'm really happy that people are just as excited about this as me!

It’s a few days later when Noya sits on the edge of the rocks, baby waves lapping at his feet. He hums as he looks down into the water’s depths, mind working over the past few days. Ever since he released the merman from Ukai’s nets, Noya can’t stop thinking about him.

He’s come back down every day to try and catch even a glimpse of the beautiful man, to - watch him swim? To get to know him? To apologize?

He tilts his head. _Probably all of it._

Suddenly there’s a splash a few feet away from him and Noya’s gaze darts to it. He sees a gleam of silver shimmering just below the water’s surface and his heart beats faster. Could it be him? Gripping the rock beneath him, he leans a little further forward to try and catch another glimpse.

Seconds later, another splash kicks up and it’s closer this time. Wide golden eyes fix on it and he wets his lips nervously. Is he going to get his chance to apologize? To see the merman again?

A hand darts out of the water and seizes his ankle, and Noya yelps. _Oh god oh god oh god oh shiiiiii--_ He twists and scrabbles, trying to hold onto the rocks, but he’s dragged off and beneath the water’s surface and barely manages to avoid smashing his chin on the way down.

He’s so startled he doesn’t get a chance to breathe in deeply before going under and Noya strains to break free of the grip on his ankle. The salt water stings his eyes for a moment, but Noya’s been swimming in the ocean his whole life. It takes him only a moment to adjust, and when he does, he’s floored. 

Another merman swims before him, silver hair floating around his face. His eyes glint with glee, highlighted by the beauty mark under his eye, and he wears a mischievous little smile. He’s no longer holding Noya’s ankle, but now he grabs his wrist instead, holding him under the water. And damn, but he’s _strong_. “Found you,” he says.

There’s a dark green glimmer in the water behind the silver-scaled merman and Noya’s eyes dart to try and follow it. _Oh no._ There’s another merman with dark hair and a deadly serious expression, and despite how entrancing they both are, Noya has a terrible feeling that he’s in deep trouble. The dark-haired merman swims behind Noya and he’s hemmed in by them both. With the grip on his wrist and the other merman behind him, there’s no way for him to slip away. Noya’s eyes widen as the silver-haired merman leans in with a grin, tail switching.

 _Oh my god, they’re gonna drown me. I caught their friend in a net and they’re gonna kill me._ Noya tries to verbalize the misunderstanding, but his voice comes out as a bubble.

Well, he has no choice but to break free now, to try and explain himself. He thrashes wildly, hoping he can shake them off before he runs out of oxygen. Both mermen try to hold him still, but Noya keeps fighting. He doesn’t care how fascinating they are, he’s not going down without a fight. Unfortunately the water makes his movements a bit sluggish, but it’s enough to keep them from being able to completely grab onto him.

His vision is starting to get a bit blurry when he hears a man’s voice, high and panicked and clear as day through the water. “Daichi! Suga! Oh my god, what are you two doing? He _saved_ me; please don’t drown him!”

Noya freezes and looks in the direction from which he hears the voice and his heart skips a beat. _It’s him._ It’s the merman he accidentally caught in the net, the one he’s been trying ever since to find. There’s panic clear on his face as he swims frantically towards them, brown eyes wild.

The other two mermen back off, leaving Noya floating. Despite being freed, he still can’t move, eyes wide. He vaguely hears the one in front of him saying something about breath, but it doesn’t register as the brown-haired merman reaches out, cupping Noya’s face in his hands. There’s worry in his gaze as he leans in and - _oh holy shit, his lips are covering Noya’s_.

It’s decidedly less enticing when the merman pinches his nose shut.

Noya definitely feels like he’s going to faint now, but then he feels the merman breathing. The breath fills Noya’s own lungs and clarity returns to his vision. Suddenly it feels like he can breathe again. Though Noya knows that logically he _can’t_ breathe underwater, he instinctively inhales - and to his surprise, does not get a huge lungful of water.

“What…?” He reaches up, touching his mouth in surprise. His voice comes out clearer, too. In all senses, it feels like he’s above the surface again, and he inhales once more.

“Geez, you scared him.” Noya turns towards the voice and the dark-haired merman grins. “Suga and I were _trying_ to do that for you, but I guess Asahi wanted you all to himself.”

“What - ?” Noya’s face flushes and he looks to an equally-flushed merman, cheeks burning as his brown hair floats around his face.

“Is that all you know how to say? Humans really _are_ funny.” The silver-scaled merman - Suga? - swims a little circle around Noya.

“What - ? I mean, _no!_ ” Noya flushes and the other two laugh. Yet the one who saved him still says nothing, still flushes red. “What - what was that, that you just did?”

The brown-haired merman looks down at his shimmering blue tail as it curls up in front of him slightly, almost like he’s trying to hide behind it. “I...I didn’t know Daichi and Suga had been looking for you. I know humans can’t breathe underwater, so I - I gave you the Breath.”

Noya looks at him in awe. “So you give me mouth to mouth and I can breathe underwater?” Even just that sounds so amazing with the nice name for it.

The beautiful merman nods shyly.

“So you saved me!” Noya cuts his arms through the water to propel himself toward his hero. “Thank you! I’ve been trying to find you!”

He backs up a little as Noya comes closer. “A-aah,” he stammers out. “You - you were?” 

Noya nods. “Yeah!” He's vaguely aware of the other two mermen swimming closer - probably in case Noya tries anything. He tries to be mindful and makes an effort to not look threatening. “I wanted to apologize!”

The mermen all pause at that. “...you did?” The one that Noya released looks a little nervous, but he stops backing up. 

“Yeah. I'm real sorry!” Noya tilts his head. “My crew and I only fish for, like, actual fish. I never would have caught you on purpose. I'd been hoping I could find you and try and make up for it.” Heart pounding, he offers his hand for a handshake. “My name is Nishinoya Yuu.”

Brown eyes watch his hand for a moment before he hesitantly reaches out and closes his fingers around a single one of Noya's. It's endearing and adorable and Noya bites his lip to hide just _how_ cute he finds it. “My name is Azumane Asahi,” the merman says, and a little smile crosses his face. 

“That's cute,” the silver-scaled merman says as he swims to float beside Asahi. “My name is Sugawara Koushi, but these two call me Suga. You seem pretty alright for a human, Nishinoya.”

The other merman swims to Asahi's other side. “Sawamura Daichi,” he says. “Glad we found you. Asahi's been thinking about you since the other day.”

Asahi's cheeks flush a deep pink. “D-Daichi!” He protests.

“Well, you have been,” Suga cuts in with a sly grin. “We were pretty sure you were never going to want to go anywhere near the surface again after that, but you kept talking about the small human that saved you…”

Asahi buries his face in his hands. “Oh my god,” he groans. 

Noya can't help the smile that breaks out on his face. It's nice to know that this man was possibly as curious about Noya as Noya was about him.

“We were going to try and give you the Breath, figure out what your intentions are with our Asahi,” Daichi says with a smile that looks just a little too dark to be entirely friendly. “But that didn't work out so well.”

The cutest little splutter slips out as Asahi looks helplessly between his friends. “Well, it looked like you were trying to hurt him!” he protests. “And he didn't seem like a bad guy…”

Suga and Daichi share a grin. “That hurts, Asahi,” Suga says with a shake of his head. “You think we could hurt the strange human you're so fond of.”

Asahi is so red (it's such a nice color on him) and he swims forward and takes Noya's finger again. He doesn't say anything but he pulls Noya along a little bit, glancing back briefly to see if Daichi and Suga follow. Over his shoulder, they wave and hang back, and Asahi relaxes a little. 

“I'm sorry,” he says to Noya. “They're my best friends, but they're being ridiculous about this.” Once they have a bit of distance he seems to realize that he's still holding Noya and he flushes darker before letting go. 

“Hey, no worries!” Noya waves his apology off easily. “You should see my best friend sometime. He's a pain in my ass if he gets it in his head that someone is trying to hurt me.”

A worried look crosses Asahi's face but it's mitigated slightly by the tiny smile on his lips. “He sounds like a good friend,” he says. 

“He is,” Noya agrees. He watches Asahi for a moment, drawn in by how his hair drifts around his face. It truly sinks in, then, that Noya is _breathing underwater._ “This...this is really cool, Asahi.” Noya's voice is filled with wonder and awe as he looks around. 

“What is?”

“All of this!” Noya spreads his arms wide and gestures to everything around them. “The ocean is amazing and I've never seen it so close like this.”

This gives Asahi pause. “Really? I thought humans had ways to see it…”

“Kinda?” Noya thinks as he treads water. “I mean, yeah, you can go snorkeling or scuba diving, but you're really weighed down with all the stuff you have to wear so you can breathe. Can't move around easily like you can.”

It's impossible for Asahi to miss the wistful tone to Noya's voice. “I'm sorry,” he says quietly. “You want to see more of it?”

“Of the ocean? Oh hell yeah.” Noya turns away to look around, watching a few fish swim around each other and shimmer in the daylight. Their scales gleam and wink, throwing the light everywhere and Noya is hypnotized by it. When they skitter into the depths he turns back to Asahi. “I love the sea, Asahi. It's just - like _woah,_ you know? Like there’s this whole other world so close by that I can’t see. It’s so close, and I just can’t _get_ to it.” He looks down to his hands, closing and then opening them again. What would it be like if he could touch…?

There's a pause and Asahi shyly meets Noya's eyes. “Um. Nishinoya. Would...you like me to show you?”

Light sparks in Noya’s eyes as he smiles slowly. “You’d do that?”

Asahi nods, seeming a little less nervous around Noya, and reaches out to take a single one of Noya's fingers into his hand. It's just as adorable as the first time, but with just the two of them alone in the middle of the ocean it feels so much more intimate and Noya's breath catches. “I will,” Asahi says.

They start out slowly; Noya’s always been a swimmer but Asahi moves through the water so much more fluidly that Noya feels like a toddler just learning to walk for the first time. His movements are so ungraceful in comparison and it’s a little embarrassing. But Asahi is patient and doesn’t swim too quickly. He keeps glancing back to be sure he’s not pulling Noya along too hard or too fast.

As they swim further into the open ocean Noya speaks up. “Asahi, have you lived near Karasuno all your life?”

“Is that what you call it, too?” Asahi looks back in surprise.

“Yeah! Really?!” Noya grins. “Ha! Makes me wonder who started calling it Karasuno first. Did we get it from the mer, or did you get it from us?”

The thought makes Asahi chuckle softly. “I’m not sure.” God, Noya loves seeing Asahi smile. He might already be a little smitten. “But yes, I’ve lived in these waters since I was born.”

“Oh wow.” Noya’s momentarily distracted when a little fish swims by and circles around him before continuing on its way. “So you must know them like the back of your hand.”

“Daichi, Suga, and I grew up together here.” Asahi turns and leads Noya along the bottom of the ocean floor. Noya knows where they are; the water isn’t so deep here that he can look up and still see the sunlight through the water. The sand out here is smooth and soft, and Noya smiles as he drags his fingers through it. “We’ve never really left, so we know them pretty well,” Asahi continues.

“So cool.” Noya hops slightly as his fingers suddenly brush over a starfish hidden in the sand. “Oh, sorry, buddy.”

Asahi can’t hide his own smile at how Noya treats the little creature and continues to lead him along. “And what about you, Nishinoya?”

“Me?”

“How long have you lived in Land Karasuno?” Asahi’s watching him now as they continue to swim along, the color of the water darkening more the deeper they go.

 _Land Karasuno. That’s adorable._ “All my life,” Noya says with a smile. “My parents did, too. I’ve thought about moving into the city, but every time I look at places on the web it just...doesn’t feel right.”

“Is the city far from the ocean?” Asahi asks.

“Oh, yeah. That’s why I can’t go,” Noya immediately elaborates. “If I couldn’t start my days walking along the beach I’d go crazy! I just feel so much more at _home_ by the water.” The thought of living in a high-rise in the city, the closest he can get to the ocean being to look out the window half a kilometer away, makes him feel antsy even just imagining it.

They come to a steep sandbank nearly as tall as Noya and pause. “You can’t live in it, but you can’t leave it,” Asahi says slowly as if just realizing what Noya’s said. He tilts his head. There’s a furrow on his brow. “That’s…” 

_That’s sad._ Noya’s pretty sure that’s what he’s going to say. That’s what that soft look with the creased brow usually means. He waves his hand again, trying to reassure Asahi. “Aw, don’t worry about me, Asahi. I’m happy here! I get to live close by and I can go swim in the ocean whenever I’m feeling keyed up!”

Asahi looks down at his hand still wrapped around Noya’s finger and then back up to Noya. “Can...can I show you something?”

Immediately Noya’s paying attention. “Yeah, of course,” he says without even stopping to think it over. Throwing himself headfirst into things might get him into trouble one of these days, but right now he just wants to know what Asahi has to show him.

“Come with me.” Asahi turns and leads the way over the sandbank, and Noya gasps aloud as soon as they’re over the other side. Below him, barely a kilometer from his front door, is a gorgeous coral reef. There’s colors and creatures as far as the eye can see - blues and pinks and oranges. Little polyps litter the landscape, tentacles waving in the water at the fish that dart by. The fish themselves are beautifully colored, too: deep blue with yellow markings; orange and black and white; purple and yellow; fading ochre gradients.

“Oh, my _god_ ,” Noya whispers, slowly turning in place to take in every single detail and desperately trying to commit it all to memory. “This - _Asahi,_ this is _amazing!_ ”

Noya’s so entranced by the sights around him that he doesn’t see the merman watching him with just as much curiosity and wonder. “Yeah,” Asahi agrees softly. “It is, isn’t it.”

The fish seem used to Asahi, swimming around his tail like cats greeting their owner at the end of a long day. Noya watches one little golden one wiggle up close to his face, swimming a circle under Asahi’s hair and around his neck before darting off. Both men giggle as they share a warm look. The creatures are a little more hesitant when it comes to Noya, but the brave one that swam around Asahi is the first to approach the shorter man.

Noya holds out his hand, fingers together and palm flat and facing the surface. He’s not sure if this is how he should be doing it - it feels more like he’s offering his hand to a nervous dog. But Asahi doesn’t correct him and Noya holds steady. After the longest breath of Noya’s life, the fish swims closer, long tail fins lightly brushing his palm. 

Gold eyes blow wide in wonder. “Look,” Noya whispers. His entire face is lit with glee as the fish hangs close by, so close that the fins tickle. “It’s beautiful.”

“He likes you,” Asahi says just as quietly. He’s smiling, too, seeing how happy this curious little human is made by the world that Asahi knows so well.

“I like him, too.” Noya looks up at Asahi with eyes shining.

There’s a long moment where they’re watching each other rather than the fish around them. Everything seems to slow down, like the entire world has stopped moving just for them in this moment. Noya swallows - he wants to say something, to know if Asahi is feeling this gravity between them, too - but when he does, it suddenly feels like he’s holding his breath. And not in the good way, like he’s waiting for something amazing - more like he needs to get air very very soon.

“Oh, no!” Asahi realizes it at the same moment. “Nishinoya, I’m so sorry, we have to get you back to the surface!”

Noya wants to protest, doesn’t want to break the moment, but he actually really does need air so he nods. Asahi surges forward and the little fish disappears into the distance. He grabs Noya’s wrist before swimming straight up towards the light. There’s a look of determination on his face as he hurries to get them both above the water.

When they break the surface, Noya takes in a deep breath of oxygen. Asahi is there, too, watching Noya carefully to make sure he’s breathing. When he hears the sharp inhale and sees Noya’s chest moving, he visibly relaxes.

“I’m sorry,” he says. His voice is a lot quieter above the surface of the water and Noya wonders if the air does something to Asahi. “The Breath doesn’t last too long...I lost track of time.”

There’s so much shame in his voice that Noya is quick to assure him. “Asahi, no, don’t apologize! That was _amazing!_ I can’t believe there was so much to see!” He’s loud and he’s still so excited by everything that he’s rambling. “Thank you! That was one of the best things ever!”

Asahi turns a lovely shade of pink. “I’m glad,” he whispers. He could disappear into the sea at any moment, but he doesn’t. He hesitates. “Nishinoya?”

Noya calms himself enough to try and match Asahi’s soft tone. “Yes, Asahi?”

Asahi audibly swallows. “If...if you’d like...I wouldn’t mind showing you more sometime?”

Noya can hardly believe his luck. Asahi actually _wants_ to see him again. Judging by the look on his face, even Asahi may not entirely know why he’s made the offer, but he does not take it back and that makes Noya’s stomach flip. “I _would_ like,” he says with a broad smile.

“Um, I’m glad.” Despite his nerves there’s a little smile on Asahi’s face. “The Breath can take a lot out of a mer, so, um, I might not be able to do it every time…”

“Oh yeah! No problem!” Noya’s flying high; he’d happily go buy a snorkel if it meant he got to have Asahi show him more of the ocean.

There’s not a good way to communicate about meeting on the fly, so Noya agrees to come back to the hidden rock outcropping where Suga had pulled him into the water in three days. Noya tells Asahi that he’s fine to swim back himself, not wanting the merman to get too close to shore and risk being seen. Again Asahi is grateful and when they part he gives Noya a little smile and a wave before diving into the surf.

By the time he gets back to shore, Noya feels exhausted. But his heart is light with the promise of getting to see more of the ocean - and Asahi - in just three days’ time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next time they meet, Asahi is beyond excited to show Noya something.

When they meet three days later, Asahi visibly glows with excitement as he peeks above the surface and waits for Noya to join him in the water. “Nishinoya,” he says, smiling brightly. “You have to see this.”

That sunny smile, devoid of any of the shyness and nerves from their first meeting, sends Noya's heart soaring. “If you're this excited to show me,” he says, “then it has to be awesome!”

Asahi nods eagerly before diving beneath the waves and waiting for Noya to join him. When Noya submerges as well, Asahi smiles. “Hi,” he says. “Is it okay if I give you the Breath?”

Noya grins and gives him a thumbs up, and Asahi laughs at how it makes air bubble between Noya’s teeth. It relaxes him and he completely closes the distance. His hands cup Noya's face as he leans in, and Noya's pulse speeds. Asahi gently pinches Noya's nose shut, probably to keep the air from escaping, and then he presses their mouths together and exhales slowly. 

It fills Noya's lungs and this time, without the panic of struggling for breath, he can focus on just how it feels. His chest rises reflexively in response and it's almost like the air in his lungs is tingling. It's like drinking something carbonated and it bubbles warmly within him. Once he's finished, Asahi releases his nose and their lips part. 

“That is never gonna stop being cool,” Noya says. “I wish I could do something like that!”

“Mer can breathe on land, at least a bit,” Asahi points out. “I don't even know if it would work?”

“It might not.” Noya thinks about that. He notices, too, that he and Asahi are still so close together and that makes him tingle. “But you wanted to show me something!”

They smile at each other before Asahi turns to swim away and Noya follows. Asahi radiates excitement, cutting through the water like a hot knife through butter; Noya can barely keep up but is tickled by how excited Asahi is. He's led to the coral reef from the other day but deeper down than before. The water gets darker the deeper they go and Noya begins to feel the pressure change around him. It's not unsafe, though, and he continues to follow Asahi down into the depths until the merman places a hand on his chest to stop Noya from continuing further. 

“Look,” Asahi whispers and points. 

Noya follows his gaze and exhales sharply. Below them is a field of colorful coral covered in dozens of tiny little fish eggs. The golden eggs are translucent and the little fish inside visibly squirm around; it seems almost as if they're waiting eagerly for something. 

“Holy shit,” Noya breathes. “Look at them all!”

“I found them last night,” Asahi says. “Just looking at their size, I think they're going to hatch soon.” Something in his expression changes and he looks slightly panicked as he gently grabs Noya's wrist. “Don't get too close, though! The parents are pretty territorial and I don't want you to get hurt.”

Asahi's protective surge fills Noya with warmth. “Of course!” he promises. “I'll give ‘em their space.”

They both stay low behind the edge of the reefs, watching carefully until Noya points. “Asahi! I see one!”

One of the eggs grows the tiniest crack and both men lean closer. It slowly splits and the little fish inside wiggles its head out. Noya and Asahi both gasp as it swims up and towards the light before pausing and turning back as if to ask its siblings  _ what are you slowpokes waiting for? _

Noya firmly grabs Asahi’s hand as the other eggs slowly begin to hatch and the water gradually fills with tiny fish. Their color is almost slightly glassy, but beginning to show more vividly - these fish are a beautiful blue with silver accents and Noya flushes slightly at just how much the deep blue resembles Asahi’s tail.

“They’re so cute.” Asahi’s whisper is reverent and soft and something about it gets to Noya in the best kind of way. “Now they’re off to see the world…”

“Yeah,” Noya murmurs. “I bet they’re gonna see all these amazing things.” Asahi is silent for a moment and when Noya turns to look at him, Asahi stares at him with a soft gaze. Noya grins in return. “Ha! Sorry, Asahi. Didn’t mean to sound down. I should just go get a snorkel or something!”

“But you can’t be as close as you like with that,” Asahi says softly. “Right?”

“No,” Noya admits, “but hey! Anything is better than not getting to see it at all!”

Asahi smiles. “I guess that’s true. You’re something else, Nishinoya. Nothing ever seems to get you down.”

“I try!” Noya rests his hands behind his head and floats easily in the water. “I don’t wanna linger on things I can’t change. It’s better to find another way!”

“Find another way,” Asahi repeats. “Just like that. That’s pretty amazing.”

Noya’s cheeks flush. “Aw, jeez.” He’s proud and confident overall, but Asahi’s cute little smile and admiration easily disarms him. “Thanks, Asahi.”

They hang there for a while, watching all of the baby fish swim around the safety of the reef. The parent fish eventually return and Noya’s just as enamored by their colors as they seem to herd the little ones back towards a cluster of rocks to keep them safe from predators. Yet they don’t seem to regard he or Asahi as a threat, even when the babies come close. A few of the tiny fish try to nestle into the blonde streak of his hair and Noya’s laugh is so loud they briefly scatter before coming back.

“You’re brave, huh?” Noya chirps at them. He holds his hand out and a few settle into his palm; it makes him all squishy.

“They’re amazing,” he whispers. “Your whole  _ world _ is amazing, Asahi.”

The merman’s smiling shyly when Noya turns to face him. “You’re really helping me see it through new eyes,” he admits. “I’ve seen it every day of my life, and - ” Suddenly he cuts himself off. “I don’t mean it’s boring or that I take it for granted!” he splutters. “I just…” His gaze turns down to the fish still wiggling happily in Noya’s hand. “Getting to see how excited you are about it...it’s like I’m seeing it for the first time.”

“Wow.” To know that Asahi sees his exuberance as something so monumental makes Noya’s chest tighten. It makes him feel  _ special. _ “Asahi…”

When the tiny fish disperse, Noya slowly reaches out his hand like he’s afraid moving any faster will terrify Asahi and send him skittering away into the ocean’s depths where Noya will never find him again. But Asahi does not shy away, only holds his breath as Noya’s hand comes closer. And then, in a moment of impulse, he reaches out just as slowly.

When their fingers meet in the middle, Asahi lets out a shuddering breath. Everything around them is perfectly still save their hair and the end of Asahi’s fins carrying gently in the flow of the water. The pads of Asahi’s fingers run over the calluses on Noya’s fingers and Noya is surprised to feel Asahi has a few of his own. His eyes dart down to where his fingers touch Asahi’s, and Noya smiles. And while Asahi initially looks mildly afraid, he eventually relaxes enough to smile, too.

“Asahi?” The other man hums softly in reply. “Thank you for showin’ me all this. I really like getting to see it all.”

There’s a nervous energy to Asahi’s eyes. “You’re welcome. But, um...I don’t go too far from Karasuno,” he says quietly. His hand starts to slip from Noya’s. “I might not...be the best one to show you everything if you want to see places past our grotto…”

Immediately Noya shifts his hand to follow Asahi’s and keep it from retreating. “I like seeing it all  _ with you _ ,” he elaborates. “Anything  _ you _ wanna show me, anything  _ you’re _ comfortable with, I’m gonna love.”

Asahi stops moving his hand and Noya catches up with it. Noya waits patiently (well, as patiently as he can) until Asahi meets his gaze. 

“Nishinoya...you mean that?” He sounds almost afraid to believe it.

“Absolutely!” Noya grins in return. “It’s special because  _ you’re _ showin’ me! Daichi and Suga seem nice, but I’d rather see everything with you.”

The deep red of Asahi’s face is a beautiful contrast to the cyan of his scales and Noya’s drawn in by it. HIs heart pounds when he realizes Asahi’s fingertips still rest against his own. “Nishinoya…” Asahi’s tail switches minutely, bringing them just a touch closer together, and Noya swears that he can feel the earth move. Something’s shifting between them and he’s eager to find out just what it is.

And then a giant flurry of bubbles escapes from his nose; the Breath has run out.  _ Not again! _ Noya wants to scream, except that will run him out of air even faster.

Thankfully Asahi notices right away and pulls Noya to the surface without another word. Noya can barely tamp down his disappointment that their time together has to end, let alone right when they were clearly having a moment. But before too long they break the surface of the water and Noya pulls air back into his lungs.

“Sometime I’m gonna learn how not to kill the moment,” he laughs, and Asahi smiles.

“It just means we get another chance later,” he says, and Noya flushes happily.

“Hey,” he says easily and impulsively. “My house...it’s the one up there on the hill, all by itself.” He points to where it sits on the hill by the sandy banks. “There’s nobody else around. The sand pretty much comes right up to my back door. You gave me the Breath the last few times, so - if you want, you could come up to the shore behind my place and not tire yourself out.”

Asahi says nothing, but Noya watches his appraising gaze sweep over the hill, the house, the beach - likely trying to determine the level of threat. He hesitates.

“No pressure,” Noya says just as easily. “If you need a few days before we swim together again, I - ”

“Okay,” Asahi interrupts, his face red. Before he can backtrack or pretend he hasn’t said it, he nods firmly. “How about sunset, two days from now?”

Noya’s heart skips - he hadn’t expected Asahi to agree. But he’s oh so thankful that he did. “That’s perfect!” he says brightly.

“I might not be great company.” Asahi smiles sheepishly. “It’s harder for me to talk above the water for a long time.”

“You’ll be good company no matter what,” Noya retorts. “Oh! Maybe we could write in the sand!”

A warm look crosses Asahi’s face. “If you don’t mind it being a bit slow,” he says quietly.

“I don’t mind.” Noya’s reiteration is firm. “Can’t wait!”

They part once more, Asahi waving before disappearing into the surf. Noya watches him go before turning and swimming back for his house. Their visit is still on his mind the rest of the night. He knows Asahi is taking a huge risk doing this, but he’s willing to try for Noya. That, more than anything, lifts his spirits.

He’s close to sleep after a good dinner and a warm bath, content with the heat of the summer even in the evening hours. The gulls quietly cry outside of his open window and Noya lets the smell of the salty air lull him into slumber.

His last thought before succumbing completely is wondering if he should buy some nicer-looking swim trunks before seeing Asahi again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noya meets up with his friends and prepares for his next meeting with Asahi.

Two days later, when Noya is browsing the rack of his favorite clothing shop, he hears someone calling his name. He turns with a hanger in his hand and grins when he sees Ennoshita Chikara waving at him.

“Hey, Chikara!” he calls. “What’s up?”

Ennoshita comes closer, steps creaking over the old flooring in the shop, and grins at the hanger in Noya’s grip. “Nothing as exciting as whatever you’re planning, apparently.”

“Huh?” Noya looks down and laughs when he sees what’s on the hanger: a bright red speedo. “Ha! I was just looking around. What do you think; is it my style?”

Ennoshita actually draws back a little to look at it critically, placing a hand on his chin. “Hmm. Seems a bit bright for you, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it would look better on your boyfriend, anyway.” Noya double-checks the tag before pushing the hanger into Ennoshita’s hands. “Here. It’s Ryuu’s size.”

With a chuckle, Ennoshita hangs it back up. “I’ll tell him you thought it would look good on him.”

Noya laughs at that and continues to flick through the rack. There’s one he’s actually kind of digging - the main fabric of the swim trunks is white and there’s a blue ombre effect going up each of the legs. It’s darkest around his knees and lightest up by his hips, layered like the ocean. Taking a quick glance at the tag, he notices it’s his size and he nods. Perfect.

“Did you wear out your old trunks?” Ennoshita asks as Noya hangs the shorts over his arm.

“Nah, just wanted a new pair.” Noya’s words come easily. “You know I’m usually on the water so much, figured it was time for something fresh.”

“Fair enough.” Ennoshita’s phone beeps and he pulls it out to check it. “Hey, I was meeting Ryuu for dinner. You want to come along?”

“You don’t mind?” Noya asks and heads for the registers. 

Ennoshita shakes his head. “No, Ryuu will be glad to see you.”

“I see him almost every day for work,” Noya smirks.

“Well, then it’ll be good for all of us to catch up.” Ennoshita chuckles and follows Noya, waiting as he cashes out. “We’re heading over to the Crab Shack.”

“Dude, crabs sound so good!” But more than the best place to get some good food, the Crab Shack is the local bar. It's an old building that's been in the Tsukishima family for generations and is currently run by the elder son Akiteru. He's a great owner and a warm face (moreso than his brother Kei in the kitchen). But they do the best crabs and drinks anywhere in Karasuno, and most of Ukai's crew ends up there more often than not on a weeknight. 

It’s not a far walk and they chatter easily as they go. Ennoshita has lived in Karasuno all his life, just like Noya and Tanaka, but they didn’t all start hanging out until they attended middle school together. It took a few years after that for Tanaka to realize that he had a huge crush on Ennoshita despite Noya rooting for him and nudging him on from the sidelines since they all met. Thankfully Tanaka came to his senses in their second year of high school and they’ve been together ever since.

More than just “Ryuu’s boyfriend”, Ennoshita has been Noya’s friend, too. They’re close to the point that people who don’t know them assume they’ve grown up together, too. The three of them have a good sense for each other - their ups, their downs, their moments both good and bad, and Noya can’t ask for better friends to have in his life.

When they walk through the door of the crab shack, Tanaka is already waiting for them and waves from his table in the back corner. “Yo, dudes!” he calls. “I ordered The Bucket already!”

The Bucket is a huge bushel of crabs meant for a party of four to six, but Noya and Tanaka can put away more than their fair share. The crabs are steamed and seasoned perfectly and come with hammers and crackers to help get out every single delicious piece of meat. It’s messy, it’s loud, and it’s a great way to spend an evening unwinding with friends. Noya's already drooling imagining it being dropped onto their table. 

“How did you know Noya was coming?” Ennoshita asks as he sits and scoots his barstool closer to the tabletop. “I only just ran into him at the clothing shop.”

“I had a feeling,” Tanaka says with a wave of his hand. “Noya and I have that twin-link thing going on.”

Ennoshita’s reply is patient as he opens the drink menu. “You’re not even related.”

“Naw, but who says you have to be?” Noya flags down the familiar freckled server and places an order for his favorite mixed drink. “Yamaguchi, can I grab my regular?” 

“Amaretto sour, right?” Yamaguchi gives him a little smile. “Sure thing, Nishinoya.”

He grins at the affirmative answer. “Thanks! You’re the best!”

“Do you ever think we come here too much?” Tanaka wonders aloud as he watches Yamaguchi buzz around behind the bar. “Yams knows our orders like the back of his hand now.”

There’s a moment where they consider that before Noya and Tanaka answer at the same time. “Naaaahh.”

They chatter and catch up while they wait for The Bucket - Ennoshita has been taking some film classes online, but is at the point where he needs to consider whether or not he wants to try to move somewhere else in a larger city to pursue a degree and possibly more opportunities - or to stay here and try to go it alone as an indie filmmaker.

“I don’t know,” he sighs. “I can see it going either way. But I’m pretty fond of Karasuno and don’t really want to leave it.”

“Dude, I get it.” Noya leans back in his chair and chews on a piece of straw paper. He regrets it when it turns to pulp on his tongue and he spits it into his napkin. “Been thinking a bit about that, too.”

What he doesn’t tell them is that his is more of a fanciful daydream about _underwater_ cities and merfolk. He’s not sure how he’d even get there, but there has to be _some_ way.

“You’re never gonna leave this place, Noya,” Tanaka fires back with a grin, and he and Noya both laugh. They know it’s true. Noya always finds his way back to the seaside, no matter how far he goes. “Chikara, I ever tell you about the time that Noya was convinced he was gonna run away to the city?”

“Oh god, not this again,” Noya groans and drops his head back against the knot-ridden wooden chair.

Ennoshita has heard the story, but he grins at Noya’s pout and taps his chin, deciding to make his friend squirm. “I don’t remember,” he says with a sly smile. “Remind me?”

“So we’re like seven years old, right?” Tanaka laughs and leans forward. “And my sister ‘grounded’ us because when Ma left her in charge, we were being little bastards and not listening to her. So Saeko said we weren’t allowed to go down to the ocean _ever again_ , and Noya _lost his goddamn mind._ ” He cackles and Noya sinks further down in his chair.

“It wasn’t that bad,” Noya tries to argue, though he takes the ribbing in stride. He has plenty of stories to get Tanaka back with, anyway. 

“He _cried_!” Tanaka shouts gleefully.

“From _anger!_ ” 

Tanaka ignores Noya as if he hasn’t even spoken. “He cried and told Sis that he was gonna _run away_ to the _city_!”

“There was an _aquarium_ in the city,” Noya snickers and gives Tanaka a shove. “I had my reasons!”

Ennoshita laughs as Yamaguchi sets Noya’s drink down and then a pitcher of water for the three of them. “You weren’t allowed to go to the ocean, so you thought you’d run away to the aquarium,” he says and shakes his head.

“I had it planned!” Noya whacks the top of the rickety wooden table and when it sways dangerously they all yelp and try to stabilize it. The tall blond cook - the younger Tsukishima - glowers at them from the kitchen window overlooking the restaurant. His eyes narrow behind his glasses as he stares through the staging window and waits for them to meet his eyes (so there's no missing his death stare), and then he slides back around the corner and into the kitchen. Noya waves at him before snickering and righting the water pitcher. “Yeah, I was gonna live in the aquarium,” he says. “I had it all planned. I was gonna sneak into the dolphin show and hide under one of the benches until it closed, and then I was gonna go swim with the dolphins all night.”

“When were you gonna sleep?” Tanaka asks around a mouthful of water.

“I mean, there were like huge stuffed animals and shit in the gift shop; I was gonna go make a bed and cover up with a hoodie every night.” Noya traces the rim of his slightly cracked glass and snickers at the memory. Man, he was a dumb kid.

“He got as far as packing his bag and leaving the house,” Tanaka says with a flourish of his hand. He bounces his leg against the barstool as he gets more into his story and his cargo shorts slide slightly down his thigh. “But he didn’t even go the right way!” Now he’s guffawing, nearly bent over the table and slapping the tabletop. “Sis found him down by the dock after he got lost!”

Noya laughs, too, but he remembers it a little differently. He’s never told Tanaka this part, but he hadn’t gotten _lost_ . He’d just left the Tanaka’s house and marched determinedly towards the bus stop and then...stopped. To get to the bus stop he had to walk across the boardwalk, which oversaw the beach and the ocean. And the minute the cerulean hue had caught his attention, that was it. Noya instantly climbed over the wooden railing and dropped down into the hot sand, leaving his bag forgotten on the boardwalk as he’d padded his way down to the tide.  
  
When Saeko, shouldering his bag, finally caught up to him a few minutes later, she found Noya just standing there barefoot in the burning hot sand and quietly looking out across the waves. Even when she called his name, it took him a long time to register her voice and even longer to look up. She took his hand and pulled him back towards the house, but Noya kept glancing back out into the water with every other step.

What was he looking for that day? Was he actually looking for anything at all? Fourteen years later, Noya still isn't sure. He just felt then like he couldn't leave Karasuno so easily to replace it with an aquarium and still feels that way now. 

The memories fade when Yamaguchi sets The Bucket down on their table with a nervous grin. “Tsukki says that if you break another table you're banned for life,” he stammers. 

“One time, Tsukishima! _One time!_ ” Tanaka hollers towards the kitchen. “This place would go under without us here every other day!”

“Ryuu, knock it off,” Ennoshita says as he reaches across the table to tug Tanaka’s shirt and redirect his attention from antagonizing the man who handles their food. “Sorry, Yamaguchi. We’ll be more careful.” Yamaguchi looks relieved as he scuttles back to the bar area to finish stocking the brightly colored bottles.

Conversation trails off as they busy themselves with the crabs. They're delicious as always and Tsukishima’s annoyance with them doesn't translate into the meal - there's no shortage of seasoning and cups of liquid butter, and they all chow down happily while still debating about Ennoshita’s predicament. They go full out, talking about school locations and rent in those areas compared to Karasuno, comparing different schools’ film programs based on Ennoshita’s description. A pros and cons list about moving is made, scrawled on one of the napkins they've managed not to ruin with their buttery crab fingers, but by the time their fingers can reach the metal at the bottom of The Bucket they're no closer to an answer. 

“Guess I'll just have to think harder,” Ennoshita sighs. “Thank you both. Maybe I'll take a trip to visit some of the campuses one weekend coming up.”

Ennoshita tidies up the table as best as he can while Tanaka and Noya pay the bill and soon they're heading back out into the warm early evening sun. A little thrill runs through Noya as he realizes that it's nearly sunset and he'll get to see Asahi soon. 

“I'm off,” Noya calls and waves at his friends. “Thanks for the crabs - Ryuu! See you tomorrow for work!”

Tanaka's shout back is mostly unintelligible due to the distance but he and Ennoshita both wave so Noya turns and heads home, his steps light and eager as he rushes. 

By the time he gets home, clips the tags off of his new shorts, and pulls them on, the sun is even closer to the water. Noya places a ball of twine in his pocket and runs to the door, shoving his feet into his sandals before doing a circle around his property. Normally he doesn’t mind people wandering down this way even if it is private, but today he will gladly put his foot down and ask them to leave; he doesn’t want to run even the smallest risk of someone seeing Asahi.

After a loop and looking down the beach, he’s satisfied to see that nobody appears to be close by. The sun is getting lower and lower, and Noya hurries to the shoreline. He scuttles down the side of his yard and down the dry, grassy hill. It whispers against his feet as he shuffles down and into the sand, avoiding the tiny burrs that always seem to pop up in sandy areas. The instant he hits the sand, Noya kicks off his sandals and stoops to pick them up before running down to where the waves lap in his backyard.

The water is still warm and he sits down in it, vibrating in excitement and waiting for the sun to dip below the horizon. His heart pounds to know he’s being trusted with such a monumental thing, for Asahi to come to the surface for him. 

“I won’t screw it up,” Noya quietly promises himself - promises Asahi.

While he waits, he fiddles. This part of the beach is littered with seashells and he pulls the twine out of his pocket. Carefully he starts to pick through the small cluster of shells around him and he chooses ones with unique shapes, different colors, and small holes.

The earth is painted red with the sun’s dying rays and Noya works. He loops the shells onto the twine and knots them so they stay in place. His tongue pokes out as he focuses intently on his task, and it isn’t long before he has a chain of evenly-spaced shells. Noya bites off the other end and ties the two ends together, pleased with himself.

The water splashes and Noya sits straight up. He sees Asahi lying on his stomach, wiggling in the sand and slowly dragging himself out of the surf. “Asahi!” Noya calls happily. “Hi!”

Asahi’s gaze turns upward and he smiles gently when their eyes meet. “Hi, Nishinoya,” he says softly, and Noya stands and hurries to his side to kneel and help pull him closer to shore. THey stay close enough to the water that Asahi can quickly get back in if he needs to, but just far enough away that whatever they write in the sand won’t be immediately erased by the tides.

Noya digs out little indents for his hip and elbows before laying on his side next to Asahi. He’s smiling broadly as he watches Asahi do the same and settle in.

 _I’m happy to see you!_ Noya writes. He could speak aloud, but he likes the idea of sharing secrets just for him and Asahi to have.

Asahi’s cheeks go pink when he reads the words, but he smiles shyly before letting the tide wash away Noya’s words. Once the sand is clear, he writes: _It’s nice to see you again, too._ He lifts his head to look at Noya and the human watches his brows draw together in curiosity.

Asahi runs his hand over the words to flatten out the sand again before writing something new. _What’s that?_

“Hm?” Noya looks around until Asahi reaches out to gently touch the twine chain of shells. “Oh!” Now Noya gets it. He smiles and scribbles. _Just a necklace I made._ Eagerly he offers it to Asahi, but the merman shrinks back slightly. “I thought it would look nice on you!” he says aloud; it’s quicker than writing. “It’s cool if you don’t want it, though! It won’t hurt my feelings. He would understand if Asahi is hesitant to accept a gift from a human and he waits only a moment before moving to pull it back.

Asahi’s hand gently closes around Noya’s wrist and he blinks softly at him. “...can I really have it?” he whispers.

Noya nods before he writes in the sand. _I made it for you, so it’s all yours._ He smiles when Asahi takes the necklace. The merman puts it over his head, but Noya frowns when he realizes that it _definitely_ won’t fit. “Ahh, sorry,” he says. “I didn’t make it long enough. I can remake it for you, Asahi!” He leans over and reaches for it, but is stopped by Asahi’s gentle hand.

Silently Asahi pulls it down a little more so it’s snug around his forehead. Once it feels secure, he shyly leans forward and traces letters in the sand. _It’s very sweet -///- I like feeling like royalty._

Knowing that Asahi likes something that was so enjoyable for Noya to do makes his chest tight with affection and he gives Asahi a toothy smile. “Well, you should!” he says. “‘Cause I think you’re royalty already!”

Two things happen at once: one, Asahi turns red. Two, a sudden giant wave crashes down over them before Asahi can say anything. When it recedes, leaving Noya spluttering, he sees Asahi is gone and his heart sinks. _Did I go too far?_ He realizes that he might have made Asahi uncomfortable and he digs his fingers into the sand. 

Splashes down the beach catch his attention and he turns around to see Asah a few feet away, lifting his head out of the surf. His face is still flaming red. “I’m sorry!” he stammers to Noya. “Y-you surprised me, Nishinoya! A-and I was drying out, so when the wave came, I just - ”

“Oh!” Noya instantly relaxes. “Sorry, Asahi! Didn’t mean to surprise ya, just telling you what I thought. Was worried I scared you away!”

Asahi flushes and wiggles himself further up the sand once more. His hair is tousled, hanging loose in his face except where it’s pinned beneath his new crown. Noya watches him crawl closer again before laying beside Noya. He writes slowly in the sand; Noya tries not to be impatient but he’s intensely curious.

Eventually, Asahi reveals what he’s written with an adorable little grin. _If it’s you calling me royalty, Nishinoya...I don’t mind._

Noya’s heart slams in his chest and he smiles so wide his face hurts. He’s been gifted something special, getting to see Asahi on land, and getting to ply him with compliments...he wants to continue aloud but contains himself and writes back on the sand.

_If it makes you smile like that, I’ll do it. Always!_

For a moment, Asahi looks like he wants to run away, dive back into the ocean, and go back to the safety of his grotto. But Noya stays still, keeps Asahi’s gaze, and waits patiently with his hand splayed next to the words he won’t take back.

After a long moment, Asahi places his hand near Noya’s. They aren’t touching, but his hands cover Noya’s words and their eyes meet once more. There’s a look of tenderness in Asahi’s eyes, replacing his usual look of skittishness, and Noya finds himself falling for the merman even harder.

With a lightly shaking hand, Asahi wipes away Noya’s words. He makes three slow movements with his finger and pulls his hand back to reveal the tiniest smiley face.

_:)_

Noya looks down in the sand and draws one of his own.

_:)_

The sun is still disappearing when the moon begins to rise, and Noya feels the earth shift between their two worlds once more. But this time, there’s no Breath to run out and ruin the moment, and he can tell Asahi feels it, too.

There’s a tiny shift between them, too, as their fingers creep closer together and their pinkies touch alongside their smiley faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tiny edits: time of day shift, fixed a sentence that made no sense. I'm a tired human.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a shift after their last visit, and neither man is entirely sure where it's going.

Something changes that night, and both Noya and Asahi are fully aware of it over the next few weeks.

However, neither seem a hundred percent clear on what they should do with it. But Asahi doesn’t shy away from Noya, and Noya presses forward a little more every time they see each other.

A few times, Asahi comes back up to Noya’s part of the beach. He narrates things that are happening underwater, but during these meetings he mostly wants to hear about Noya’s life. Noya writes about his job (he wasn’t sure if it was okay to talk about catching fish, but as it turns out mers do eat a lot of fish - Noya decides sometime he’s going to bring fish and chips for Asahi to try since he’s never had fried food). Noya doodles passable pictures of his friends: Tanaka’s bald head yelling at him for being distracted one day, Ennoshita’s patient smile, Ukai’s ever-present annoyance (complete with cigarette), Saeko’s constant willingness to throw down and kick someone’s ass if necessary. Asahi seems a little alarmed by the Tanaka siblings, but Noya tells him that they’re as good as family to him and that relaxes the merman.

Some days they go into the ocean and Asahi grants Noya the Breath. These days are Noya’s favorites; he loves seeing what Asahi is excited to show him. Some days they go back to the reef to look at the fish; the babies are growing up and always seem happy to see them again. Some days they play kelpball with Daichi and Suga (Noya quietly thinks that Kelpball is a lot like volleyball, but he’s certainly not going to say anything). That’s fun - Noya watches the way that Asahi hits the giant woven wad of kelp and sponge over the netting to make Daichi and Suga try to save it, and he thinks that on land, Asahi would have made a fantastic ace. Sometimes they just swim around, a few kilometers from shore, and just talk. He loves getting to know Asahi like this - to hear about how he lives, what he likes, the things he does.

Each time they get a little bit closer to Karasuno, but every time something stops Asahi from taking Noya there.

Noya understands - he’s human. The mers of Karasuno have little reason to trust the people from the surface considering how close they’ve come to extinction at their hands. Most people in Karasuno talk about how the mers have been gone since the 80s and Noya was one who thought they were gone, too. The fact that Asahi is starting to trust him is nothing short of monumental considering how they met, and he knows that. He’s enjoying the fact that he gets to spend time with Asahi at all, and particularly the way that they seem to shift a little closer together every time. Their hands get a little closer every time until their fingers all gently touch one Friday.

There’s something Noya does between their meetings, though - something he can’t even tell Asahi. He can’t tell the merman about the research he’s been doing late at night with his phone glowing under his blankets.

_ how long can a person breathe underwater _

_ lighter scuba gear _

_ ways to live underwater? _

And finally - the craziest one of all.

_ how to become merman _

The thought of that one - it’s so wild, off the wall, and yet it’s  _ all he can think of _ . Noya wonders if he’s losing his mind the first time he hesitantly types it into the search engine - maybe he’s exhausted, maybe he’s not sleeping - but he can’t stop himself from deleting it and pretending it didn’t happen. Instead, he presses “go”.

...oh.

Oh wow.

...yeah, those 200 pages of results are going to have to wait until he’s more awake. Because this is a lot to take in.

* * *

A few days later Noya lies quietly on the beach, half dozing with his hands beneath his head. The evening sun leaves the sand warm against his skin, lulling him closer to sleep. There’s something so comforting about it, like being wrapped in a warm blanket. The smell of salt stings his nose and the sounds of the tide washing in and out only soothe him further; there’s really nowhere Noya feels more at home than here.

The water splashes nearby and Noya’s instantly awake, sitting up and grinning as he spots Asahi pulling himself out of the surf. They’d arranged to meet tonight and with the sun setting it’s finally time. Noya hurries to his side and helps haul Asahi up so the merman doesn’t have to do all of the work. “Asahi!” he greets brightly.

Asahi smiles shyly. “Hi, Nishinoya,” he whispers. Though the air is often too dry for him to speak for very long, Noya finds it unbearably cute that Asahi always greets him verbally. It’s a sweet concession and he likes hearing Asahi’s voice.

The merman settles in on the soft wet sand where the waves can still lap at him and Noya lies beside him. The way they both rest, heads together but lower halves going opposite ways makes them resemble a yin-and-yang. It makes Noya smile - two complete people, coming together to make something new. He props his head on his arm and watches Asahi warmly. “How are you?” he asks.

Asahi’s eyes turn downward toward the sand as he drags a finger through it to draw. He pulls his hand away shortly after to reveal a tiny smiley face, and Noya’s heart skips. Asahi smiles too before adding more.  _ It’s so good to see you. _

Noya’s cheeks flush. With a smile of his own he quickly writes in the sand under Asahi’s words.  _ Same here. It’s the best part of my day. _ Asahi has only a moment to read it before the tide laps around them and washes it away, but Noya knows he’s read it when he turns pink.

They ‘talk’ for a while. Asahi writes about Daichi and Suga taking two young mermen who want to play kelpball under their fins; they’re exuberant but constantly trying to one-up each other to their own detriment. He chuckles as he recounts and mimes how irritated Daichi is with their lack of cooperation, and Noya laughs. He can picture it perfectly, too. Asahi explains that they’re being forced to work together before being accepted onto the team.  _ You’d be a good mentor to them, _ Asahi writes and chuckles softly at how Noya’s eyes shine at the idea.

When Asahi has to take a brief break to dip back into the ocean to rehydrate, Noya watches him and thinks. Damp, salt-kissed hair hangs in his face as he tilts his gaze down, drawing idly in the sand to the soundtrack of Asahi splashing about happily in the surf. He smiles even just hearing him; these moments he gets to spend with Asahi really are some of the best in his day.

And yet, he’s torn. Asahi is always far more comfortable on days he’s able to give Noya the Breath and bring him under the sea - and understandably so. Asahi has long since forgiven Noya for accidentally catching him in a net, but they both know that if someone else had done it, it might not have ended as well.

Despite all this, on days where he’s too tired to give the Breath Asahi still comes to the surface just to see Noya. It makes Noya’s heart skip and his stomach sink because he doesn’t ever want Asahi to be in danger...but for how skittish the gentle merman is, he continually puts himself in danger for Noya’s sake. Though Noya does his best to make sure that his property is empty before he heads down to the water, there’s always the risk someone could come by and see Asahi on the shore.

On top of all of that...Noya can’t stop thinking about that last internet search he did:  _ how to become merman _

He’s scrubbed through some of the results. Most of them aren’t helpful - they lead to forums of people asking how to become a merman and no solid answers. There’s a few people who claim to have made potions, but Noya’s not convinced based on the comments on those articles. (“It tasted like fruity drano”, “if it’s supposed to make your legs itchy then mission accomplished”, and “I think I’d rather lick a bath bomb” are among his favorites.) In a few days he’s gotten through nine of the 200 pages, but it might take him a while to weed through the rest.

Is there really a way? Is Noya chasing a completely impossible dream?

Noya exhales slowly and lays his hand flat next to his drawing. Art has never been his strong suit, but what he’s scratched into the sand is a passable facsimile of himself with a tail. It’s not as beautiful as Asahi’s, but Noya’s not sure he could ever accomplish that. 

Beside him, Asahi catches his breath and Noya realizes that he’s scooted back up to his spot and seen the drawing. There’s no question that he recognizes Noya in it.

“Noya…?” Asahi’s voice is soft and raspy even after his dip back into the ocean, but Noya isn’t sure it’s because of the dry air. He looks up into Asahi’s beautiful, wide, brown eyes and he swallows.

Shaking fingers drag through the sand and Noya carefully spells out below his drawing:  _ I want to be with you. _

Asahi’s hand flies to cover Noya’s and when their eyes meet his lips are pressed tightly together. Asahi looks like he’s afraid to believe what’s written in the sand, so Noya uses his free hand to circle his drawing and jab it a few times.

He whispers to Asahi, soft but fierce: “ _ I. Want. To be. With  _ you.”

There’s a bright happiness that crosses Asahi’s face - but only for a moment. Then he bites his lip and looks down. Still holding Noya’s hand, Asahi writes with his other. Noya can’t tell if his shaky letters are from using his non-dominant hand or from his nerves.  _ I can’t be a human, Noya, _ he writes slowly. His breath is more ragged now and his eyes dart to watch a little crab scuttle along the shoreline so he doesn’t have to look Noya in the face. There’s an intense fear on his face that Noya hasn’t seen since the first time they met and it stings just as much as it did then.

Noya’s heart is in his throat. He knows. He knows Asahi can’t be human. He’d never ask that of Asahi; it isn’t what  _ Noya _ wants, anyway. Asahi’s been mer his entire life, and it  _ suits _ him. Noya, on the other hand...he’s in the water more often than not. It’s always been the constant in his life. Even people in Karasuno that he barely knows have asked him why he doesn’t try to become a diver or to move somewhere that he could work on submarines all day. But even when they ask they know it’s not enough for him, and Noya knows it, too.

He bites his lip and dips his finger harder into the sand to redraw the tail. “I know you can’t,” he says, “and that’s okay.” He blows out a weighty breath. “I want you to stay a merman, Asahi. If...if you’ll let me, I’ll find a way. I  _ want _ to find a way to be with you - in  _ your _ world.” 

With Asahi’s extended silence, dread suddenly begins to crawl up his spine and Noya wonders if he’s misinterpreted the last few weeks. It’s not like him to be struck by nerves like this, but his heart pounds heavy with each passing second that he silently wills Asahi to look back up at him. Is Asahi feeling the same things that he is? 

There’s a pause so long that Noya can feel stars dying between each breath. And then, Asahi lets out a wet noise as he finally looks back at Noya. A beautiful smile spreads across his face as his eyes shimmer with emotion. He uses the heel of his hand to brush away his previous uncertain words before slowly tracing a line under Noya’s wish. Beneath that, he writes the sweetest two words:  _ me, too. _

Noya feels his throat tighten and he looks down at their still-joined hands, then back up at Asahi. He leans closer and brushes the bleached piece of hair off of his face as the wind rustles around them. Asahi leans in as well, his cheeks dusted red as he shakily tucks a piece of long brown hair behind his ear.

When their lips meet, it’s like the crashing of waves along the shore and Noya is quickly swept up in the tide. Two worlds meet as if they were always meant to do, and Noya tightens his grip on Asahi’s hand. They shift a little more toward each other before their lips part with a soft noise. Matching dazed expressions cross both of their faces and they both smile at each other.

The waves wash around them as the tide comes further in and Asahi shifts his hand to link their fingers. His gills move with his breath and he tilts his head at Noya before moving to lie flat on his stomach. It’s usually enough of a signal that he wants to head for the water, and Noya takes the hint.

“Hell yeah,” he crows before taking a deep breath and diving into the oncoming wave.

(Their second official kiss starts out as the Breath - but it definitely lingers a little longer than usual and deepens when Noya tilts his head.)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A storm looms on the horizon.

Ever since their kiss, Noya’s head has been among the waves and immersed in his internet searches. He's spending a lot more time up late researching that last search he did, to varying levels of success. But he _has_ to find a way now. He's made his wishes clear: he wants to be with Asahi, and Noya will find a way to live underwater or die trying. 

His head isn't on the land, and Noya doesn't really realize how much of an open book he is, apparently. He’s at the Crab Shack with Ryuu one morning after a shift on the _Crow’s Nest_ when his friend looks him dead in the face.

“Okay, Noya, _something_ is up and I have no idea what. You wanna clue me in?”

Well, _shit_. 

Noya and Tanaka don't keep secrets from each other. They never have, which makes this whole situation even more difficult. Asahi has never explicitly asked Noya to keep his existence a secret, but Noya doesn't feel right telling anyone. If the wrong person got wind of the fact that there's a whole secret grotto of mers just under them...he doesn't even want to think about what people would do. What might happen to them all - Daichi, Suga, _Asahi._ So Noya has kept everything to himself so far. 

And yet...he and Tanaka have shared everything growing up. Ryuu is the only person to have seen Noya seriously cry (neither of them count his tantrum from Saeko grounding them; they've mutually agreed that wasn't _really_ crying). Noya’s the one who easily agreed to hold Tanaka's hand when he'd broken his leg after they'd both stupidly jumped from the _Crow's Nest_ as teenagers and doctors had to reset the bone. 

The Tanaka family had readily taken a very young Noya in when his father left Karasuno. He was devastated after Noya's mother died and couldn't handle staying in the place he had grown all his life because it wasn't with _her_. But Ryuu’s family was there immediately to make sure that Noya had a place to sleep and was fed, happy, and loved. Noya has never known any blood family and he's decided it doesn't matter. 

And now...now he's keeping secrets. This doesn't really feel right either. 

Noya sighs and rotates his wrist, the glass making a satisfying _tunk_ against the wooden bar. (They’ve been banned from tables for at least a week by Tsukishima so have been relegated to the bar, and it's just as knotted and old as the tables.) “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he says to test the waters, to which Tanaka scoffs.

“You once told me you killed a man with your thumb. When we were _seven._ Try me.”

Well, that’s true. Noya considers this as he drains the last of his drink. He actually still can’t believe Ryuu bought that one and it makes him snicker. 

And again it feels weird to even think of not telling Tanaka. But his sense of family wins out in the end and he knows he has to. 

Disguising the movement as a casual stretch, Noya glances around. The bar is empty save for the elder Tsukishima leaning against the wall in the corner by Ukai’s table; they’re talking so lowly that Noya can’t even hear their voices over the static of the old TV above their heads.

Assured, Noya leans closer to Tanaka. “Dude. I met a merman.”

Tanaka barely manages to stop himself from dropping his glass. Curses pour out of him as he catches it and practically hurls it on the bar instead of on the floor.

“You _what?_ ” Tanaka’s eyes go wide. “No. No way in hell. I didn’t hear you right.”

“You did, and I did,” Noya counters. “Remember when I cut the haul loose a few weeks ago?”

Tanaka gapes at him. “No, dude. _No fuckin’ way_.”

“You really think I would have gotten scared of a _jellyfish_ ?!” Noya demands; he’s almost _insulted_ by the idea.

“I _knew_ that couldn’t have been it!” Tanaka chops his hand into his flat palm in triumph. “Knew you wouldn't have let a haul go over a _jellyfish.”_

“Yeah, dude, it was because there was a _man_ in the net!” Despite his attempt to whisper, Noya’s voice rises slightly but falls again just as quickly. “He looked so scared, Ryuu. I had to help him.” Noya stares down into his glass as he remembers Asahi's terrified face and his struggle to breathe. 

“That sounds like you, dude.” Noya's just starting to relax when the other shoe drops and Tanaka glares at him. “Wait. That was _weeks_ ago! You sat on it this long and you didn't tell me?!”

Noya winces. Here it comes - he's expecting this part. “Look, I'm sorry! But I just didn't - ”

“Man!” Tanaka slugs Noya in the shoulder, sucks his teeth, and looks away. “What the hell?! Thought we could talk about anything! That hurts, Noya.” This isn't the joking anger he sees from Ryuu when Noya steals the last of his Seaweedies - there's real hurt in his friend's eyes. 

“Shit.” Noya runs a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Ryuu. I didn’t mean to keep it from you for so long. Just...I can’t stop thinking about what would have happened if it had been anyone other than us that got him in their nets. What they might’ve done to him, you know? And I got scared of tellin’ _anyone_.”

There's a long pause and Noya, thinking he’s actually really blown this, grips his empty glass tighter before Tanaka sighs. “I get it,” he says. “Nobody has seen any of ‘em since the eighties. Who knows who would try and nab him up for themselves? You're just tryin’ to protect this guy.”

Noya’s shoulders drop slowly as he relaxes and he lightly punches Tanaka in the arm. “I knew you'd understand,” he says. “I _am_ sorry, though. I should have told you sooner.”

But Tanaka’s ire has passed and he just grabs a handful of probably-stale pretzels from the bowl on the bar. “Nah. I'll just kick your ass for it later.” Noya has no doubt that this is true and he snickers. “Was he cute at least?”

Red breaks out across Noya’s face and he tries to ignore Tanaka’s knowing smirk. “He’s _really_ good-looking,” Noya sighs, not even trying to hide it. “Like...I don’t think I’ve ever seen a guy so handsome. I couldn’t stop staring.”

“Jeez. You got it bad.” Tanaka sips at the amber liquid in his glass and grimaces. Noya doesn’t know why he constantly goes for whiskey when it’s clear he doesn’t like it, but Tanaka always waves it off with something about ‘the burn’. “You tell Ukai?”

“No, and I’m not gonna.” Noya reaches for the pretzels and pops one into his mouth. _Yup. Definitely stale._ “I dunno, man. Something about it feels wrong, like I said. Not that I think Ukai would even believe me.” Pillowing his head on his arms Noya leans over the bar. “I trust you, though. Didn’t feel right not telling you all this time, but I know I can count on you.”

Tanaka takes that silently, though Noya’s pretty sure if he dared to look up he’d see that Tanaka’s eyes are slightly wet. He’s pretty soft-hearted sometimes. “I’m not gonna say anything; you know that,” he says and sets the glass down. “I _am_ gonna look twice when we cast the nets, though.”

Noya snorts. “Careful,” he grins. “If you hurt him I’ll kick your ass.”

“Yeah, let’s see you try!”

Things seem to be fine between them now; they’re falling back into easy camaraderie. They banter a few minutes longer before deciding it’s as good a time as any to pack it up, closing out their tab (Noya always pays on Tuesdays) and heading out the door. They wave to Ukai on the way out; he barely grunts back as he lifts his hand. As they leave, Tanaka playfully shoves Noya. He realizes only a moment too late that he's pushing him right into an _absolute mountain of a man_ entering the bar. 

“Shit, sorry!” Tanaka grimaces. To be fair, Noya's so small he hadn't even budged the stranger at all - but still. 

“My bad!” Noya's bright as ever even in the face of the man's intimidating glower. His expression is dark and serious, his five o'clock shadow only serving to highlight how menacing an aura he puts off. Yet Noya is undeterred. “Hey, Aki!” he calls. “Put a glass of whatever this guy wants on my tab, alright? I'll pay it after my shift tomorrow!”

Akiteru looks up from his conversation with Ukai like he's going to deny Noya's request, but one glance at the imposing sandy-haired stranger makes him change his mind. “Sure thing!” There's a hint of strain in his voice that nobody but the regulars recognize. “Have a seat at the bar and I'll be right with you.”

The man grunts in acknowledgment and roughly nudges Noya aside to amble up to the bar as Akiteru goes behind it. “More here for information than a drink,” he says. “Where can I find the fishers in this place?”

Something about the way he asks it is clearly more of a demand and the hair on the back of Noya's neck stands straight up. Karasuno is small enough that everyone basically knows each other, but he's never seen this man before. Not to mention anyone who's lived here for more than a week knows Ukai, Tanaka, Saeko, and Noya immediately on sight. Even the people who occasionally paddle their little rowboats out into the sea to catch a few carp on a quiet Sunday morning know where not to go to avoid running into the _Crow's Nest_ so they don't disturb her rhythm. Noya frowns and darts a look at Ukai, who's now stood and crosses his arms over his chest. 

“I lead the crew here,” he says evenly, hiding a bit of steel in his tone. “Can I help you?”

“Sure hope so.” Ice blue eyes fix on Ukai and his glare is sharp. “You see anything unusual in these waters?”

Asahi's smiling face instantly flits through Noya's mind and his fist slowly clenches at his side. Who is this guy?

Ukai stands unwavering and unblinking. “I mean,” he drawls slowly, elongating the phrase as much as humanly possible. “Sometimes Noya's early for work. That's pretty unusual.” (Tanaka smothers a guffaw into his fist and Noya seriously debates punching him.)

The man’s lips curl back in a sneer. “Funny,” he snaps in a tone that indicates he doesn't actually find it funny in the slightest. “I'm talking about unusual creatures. There's been rumors of merfolk being sighted here in this town.”

Noya freezes. _No…no! Shit, how does he know that?!_ His heart starts to pound and Tanaka's mirth has completely dissipated as he looks to Noya with panic in his eyes. 

Ukai arches an eyebrow just as slowly as he speaks. “Think you're mistaken,” he says. “Mers have been gone for at least thirty years.”

“So they say.” The man pushes his sunglasses up. “Well, in that case, my crew and I will do some digging on our own. There shouldn't be any problem so long as we steer clear of each other, eh?”

 _Fuck!_ Noya hopes these guys will clear out, but he has a _bad_ feeling that they’re in no rush and won't leave until they get what they came for. 

Ukai doesn't answer for a moment, taking his time to light a cigarette and savor that first languid inhale. “Mmm.” The sound he finally makes is non-committal. “Sounds pretty sticky to me. Pretty sure you're running the risk of interference...but you'd have to check with Takeda over at the port authority to be sure.”

The mention of Ukai's partner serves to ease Noya's tense shoulders just a fraction. If there's any illegality at all, he'll be able to sniff it out and shut it down. What he doesn't like it's how unruffled the man seems by this. 

“Really now.” He grunts and turns to face Akiteru behind the bar. “Then I guess we'd all better tread lightly.”

His body language indicates that the conversation is over and there's a long moment where nobody moves. Finally Ukai breaks it by grabbing his cigarette to inhale deeply, a little harder than strictly necessary. Akiteru warily takes the man's order and Noya turns to the door. He busts through it with Tanaka and Ukai not far behind, and they all fall into step as the door clatters shut behind them. 

“I don't like that guy,” Tanaka growls. “He's gonna get in our way.” But his eyes are still on Noya. 

“No question,” Ukai agrees. “The _real_ question is how long it's gonna take, with him chasing ghosts.”

The lump in Noya's throat grows. _They're not ghosts,_ he wants to tell Ukai. But he can't do that. The more people who find out that the mers are alive, the more likely it is that the wrong people will hear and hunt them down. 

He and Asahi aren't meeting for a few days...but he has to find him and warn him. 

He stops. “Sorry,” he says after a pause. “I have to get going.”

Before Ukai can ask, Noya turns and takes off for his house. The sky overhead is dangerously dark and a storm is coming; there's no mistaking it. 

It becomes harder to see when the rain starts to pelt Noya as he dashes down the beach. 

_I can't believe this is happening._ He tears off his soaking shirt and dumps it in the sand with a wet squelch. 

_Asahi's in danger!_ He kicks his sandals off and tosses them somewhere behind him. 

_I have to do something -_ Noya dashes into the churning waves and dives into a huge one that breaks over his head, nearly forcing him back. He spits out seawater and takes a deep breath before submerging himself into the stormy seas once more. 

The sea is so choppy he can barely see anything through the murk. He squints and silently pleads for even a glimpse of shimmering blue, but all he sees is the white seafoam slapping him repeatedly in the face. Every time he's forced to come up for air he screams Asahi's name, though it's lost to the howling winds. 

Despite letting the waves batter him for a long half-hour, there's no sign of Asahi. Noya wants to keep trying but in his exhaustion he can't fight the waves brutally pushing him back to shore. He's lucky he doesn't drown with how rough the seas are, but all he can focus on is getting back out there and finding Asahi before it's too late. Noya tries to push himself to his feet, but he has absolutely no energy left and his arms tremble before he weakly sinks into the sand. 

With an infuriated shout, Noya slams his fists into the wet sand as he's forced to bow to the ocean’s might. His forehead touches the ground and he struggles to bite back tears of fury. 

_Goddammit!_ He remembers once that Asahi was shyly astounded with Noya's ability to always find another way. It's his way of operating, how he's always been. 

But with how stormy it is now, he can't clearly see that other way. 

…

...unless…

Noya remembers the search tabs still open on his phone and lifts his head as his hair drips salty spray into his eyes. 

If he can't immediately _see_ another way, then Nishinoya Yuu is going to _make_ another way come hell or high water. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noya stays up far too late as the storm rages. There has to be _something_ that can help.

Noya doesn’t sleep that night. The storm howls, rages, and batters his house through the early hours of the morning, and he stays up all through it glued to his phone. The blue light from his screen illuminates nothing in the room save his face and the few centimeters of sheet between his chin and the phone, propped against his hands as he scrolls. There are still so many pages of results, and there’s not much time. He gets through another eight pages of results from his search for _how to become merman_ , but they’re yielding little of substance and Noya feels dread setting in.

At around 2:15 am, on page 37, one result catches Noya’s eye. The page title _Sea Witch’s Abode_ grabs him first, and he taps it. 

It leads him to a deep cerulean webpage with white text and sky blue hyperlinks. While the website is similar to quite a few others he’s seen in his explorations, there’s something alluring about how all of the colors mesh and Noya willingly scrolls through the website. 

This one has a story to it. Most of the others haven’t, but this one has a full-blown narrative. Noya leans closer to read.

_I used to be a mer. But I left the sea sixteen years ago for reasons that probably aren’t relevant to you. I found a way to become human, and I never looked back._

_And yet, I see so many people searching for_ how to be a mer _. Hundreds of results come up: many silly, some unsafe, and all of them wrong._

_I don’t know your reasons for seeking to become mer. It doesn’t much matter to me. But I won’t let anyone come to harm for it, so I’ve decided to take the only action that I can._

_Below is a link to my mer elixir. Use it at your own risk. The tonic is slow-acting - unless ingested by a human with mer blood in their veins._

_Be absolutely sure that this is what you want. And should it be so, may you find happiness in your new life._

_-A._

Noya’s fingers tremble slightly from anticipation as he taps the link. Whoever “A” is, they’ve hooked him. A gives a clear warning about being sure this is what you want, and warns that you’re using it at your own risk. He waves that off pretty easily - of _course_ this is what he wants - but it's nice they're warning people at least. 

There’s a picture of the elixir - it’s in a round, glass bottle, a deep red that almost reminds him of blood. It’s translucent and he can see some tarot cards and books on the coffee table through the liquid; he wonders idly if these belong to A. He briefly thinks more about who they are - were they really mer? If so, why did they leave the ocean? Did something happen?

But right now he has his own problem to solve, and he looks at the “buy now” button. It’s pretty reasonably priced at about ¥4500, assuming it actually does what A claims it does. He looks around to see comments or reviews and notices something interesting. A tagline indicates that 74 people have purchased this elixir, but there are zero comments. It’s not that there isn’t space for comments, no - but there are zero comments in the guestbook. 

Noya finds that strange. On every single “potion” he’s found, there are multiple comments complaining about the fact that it didn’t work. But this one, sold 74 times, doesn’t have a _single_ comment - negative or otherwise.

Maybe it’s the late hour. Maybe it’s blind optimism. But...Noya wonders if there’s no comments because people aren’t returning to their computers after taking it. If it actually _works._

He wets his lips. This...this _has_ to work. It _has_ to! But his fingers tremble as he touches the “buy now” button before leaning over to snag his wallet off the bedside table. Entering his card information and address is just as mechanical as his mind continues to circle around _this has to work, this has to work._ Noya confirms the order. 

Only a few minutes later he receives an email from _a.seawitch@abode.net_.

_To: Nishinoya Yuu_

_Subject: Mer Elixir Order_

_Nishinoya Yuu,_

_I do not know you, nor do I need to. Your reasons for ordering this are your own._

_All I ask is that you be completely certain of what you are doing before you open the bottle._

_It will arrive within three days._

_I wish you all the best in your endeavors._

_-A._

Noya reads it three times before dropping his phone face down in his blankets. The email makes it all the more _real_ to him, somehow, and he takes a deep breath before slowly letting it back out. He might have done it - he might have found a way to become a merman and to help Asahi - to _be_ with him. 

Frustratingly, there's nothing more he can do tonight, and sitting up all night isn't going to make the bottle come faster. He works tomorrow afternoon and decides to try and get some sleep. 

He dreams of a choppy, empty sea all around him on a deserted island, and no matter how loudly he shouts nobody ever comes. 

* * *

Noya still wakes at dawn the next morning like usual thanks to his finely-tuned internal clock. He groans and rubs the crud from his eyes; he’s exhausted after his near-allnighter. But from personal experience he knows it’s useless to try and go back to sleep. That’ll just leave him groggy and crabby all day and he needs to be at his best (or as close to it as four hours of sleep will let him be) to try and formulate a plan.

He splashes water on his face, scrubs at it lightly, and turns over his options. The elixir won’t arrive for a few days, but there’s nothing to be done for that now other than to put it out of his mind until it’s in his hands. In the meantime, there has to be _something_ else he can do - 

Suddenly he whips his head up so fast that he sprays the mirror with the damp ends of his hair. There’s one person he can go to now, before the potion gets here. Noya refuses to be as helpless as he was when the ocean tossed him around last night and he’s taking action.

Fifteen minutes and one sprint later, Noya bangs into the port authority offices before beelining to Takeda Ittetsu’s desk. The other man is engrossed in his computer, the screen reflecting off of his glasses, and Noya slaps his hands down on the desk.

 _“Takeda!”_ he yells as he hits the desk, and Takeda jumps about a foot in the air (making his already-messy hair even messier) before looking up at Noya.

“N-Nishinoya, you startled me,” he says, but he can clearly see that something is going on by Noya’s expression. It changes his tone instantly. “Is everything okay?”

“Tell me you can do something about the guy who showed up yesterday,” Noya pleads.

Takeda’s face darkens. “I was afraid that’s what this was about,” he says. “Keishin came to me about this, too.” He turns back to his monitor with a concerned frown and clicks a few times. “He’s...very well known,” Takeda says after a moment. “I did some searching yesterday afternoon. His name is Lorenzo - though we don’t know any other name; that’s all he goes by. He goes from port town to port town looking for rare creatures.”

Noya’s fingers dig into the desktop so hard his nail beds turn white. “How...how many has he…?”

Takeda’s response is quiet. “Too many to count. He often sells certain ones to high bidders, like aquariums and private collectors...but in other areas, he’s reportedly driven some species to extinction.”

 _“Dammit!”_ Noya slams his fist into the desk again, rattling a cup of pens next to Takeda’s well-worn keyboard. “Why hasn’t anyone locked this guy up?!”

Takeda is understanding despite the others around them glaring at Noya’s outburst. “Unfortunately, many of the other places he frequents don’t have laws against this sort of thing. Karasuno has strict poaching laws, but we can’t take any action unless he does. And by then…”

“...he’ll probably already have shipped out,” Noya finishes flatly.

“Unfortunately, that’s the likely outcome,” Takeda says. He hesitates a moment before continuing. “Nishinoya...is there something more going on here?” He lowers his voice slightly to avoid his colleagues overhearing. “I know how important the ocean is to you. Keishin does, too. If there’s something I can do, I'm happy to help.”

For a moment, Noya wants to tell him. If he tells Takeda, maybe he can - Noya’s not sure; he can make a new law or something? But there’s just too many people around here for him to even think about it. He opens his mouth and then closes it again almost immediately. “I just can’t stand this guy,” he finally says.

“I understand.” Takeda smiles sympathetically before his eyes return to his monitor. “Rest assured - if he interferes with the _Crow’s Nest_ or anything of the sort, we can get him for that. Don’t lose hope, Nishinoya.”

(Noya debates about trying to convince Ukai to steer the _Crow’s Nest_ into the path of this asshole, so they can claim that he got in their way, but frowns when he realizes that probably would be illegal in some way. He can’t help Asahi from jail.)

“Thanks, Takeda,” he says instead. “I’m gonna figure something out.”

 _“Please_ don’t get yourself into trouble.” Takeda might rightfully be concerned about that with Noya's track record for finding trouble and flinging himself headfirst into it, but those instances were all justified in Noya's mind!

(Well...maybe not that one time. But when Ukai had come to bail him out, he'd flatly told Noya "that was your one. Don't do it again.") 

“Don't worry!” Noya puts on a grin and eagerly slaps his chest. It _definitely_ won't be as bad as _that_ time. “All above the table, I promise.”

That barely seems to placate Takeda but he can't really say much more than he already has without being repetitive. “If you see anything,” he says instead, “please report it to me immediately. You have my office number, correct?”

Noya nods. “Yeah. Thanks again.”

Takeda still looks slightly concerned but lets Noya leave without argument. There's little else he can do right now and instead waves at Noya as the young man leaves the offices, shutting the door hard behind him. 

Noya shoves his hands through his hair in frustration. Well, _that_ hadn't gone how he'd hoped. He knows it's naive, but he'd half hoped to come in only to find Lorenzo in handcuffs with his head hung low and Takeda lecturing him about the laws of Karasuno. He crosses his arms and frowns - as great an image as that is, it's clearly not what's going to happen. Takeda isn't happy about this, either, but he has to play by the rules and won’t act until Lorenzo does. 

That just means Noya has to do this on his own and make his ‘other way’. 

The sea is still choppy from last night's storm and Noya frowns. He probably wouldn't get pushed back as hard today if he tries and he heads for the hidden rock outcropping where he first saw Daichi and Suga. 

Noya drops his shorts on the edge of the rocks to keep his phone from getting wet before slipping into the water. Waves still churn around him, but he ventures out as far as he feels comfortable. From there he repeats yesterday's exercise of diving, looking around, swimming further, and repeating. There's not nearly as much murk as yesterday but that just means Noya can clearly see that none of the mers are anywhere near here. His heart sinks. 

It's a while later that he feels exhaustion set in and he's forced back to shore with no success in looking for Asahi. Noya crawls up onto the rocks again and flops onto his back, feeling the rocks warming his chilled skin. He rests his hand across his eyes and groans loudly. 

_I want him to keep hiding but I also want him to come out so I can warn him! Dammit, Asahi, I wish I had a way to call you…_

He lies there for a while, regaining his strength before his stomach growls. Noya sighs and decides he has to get up and get some food before going to work. He'll have no energy for the hauls if he doesn't, and the last thing he needs today is Ukai up his ass. The man is probably already testy from their run-in with Lorenzo yesterday and Ukai's already pretty gruff even on a good day. He tugs on his shorts and drags himself home for lunch and to dress for work despite the fact that his head is still swimming. 

Noya despises the fact that even in the face of looming danger, all he can do is continue to live his normal life. Barring the elixir magically appearing before the end of the night, as long as he lives on the land and doesn't know where the underwater grotto is, there's not a damn thing he can do until the day he's supposed to meet with Asahi. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooof, I hope this doesn't come off too deus-ex-machina-y.
> 
> Fun fact: an idea I had for this that ultimately ended up getting cut because there wasn't a good narrative place to stick it included Noya finding a moment to talk to Daichi and Suga alone. I'm sharing the gist below because it made me laugh and I'm sorry it didn't find its home in the story as is.
> 
> Noya: Hey. How do you become a merman?  
> Daichi/Suga: ???  
> Noya: It's just something I'm looking into! Thought I'd come to the source.  
> Suga: It's really easy, Nishinoya.  
> Noya: O:??  
> Suga: You just have to... _drink our blood._  
>  Noya: Really?  
> Daichi: What? **No.** Ignore him, Nishinoya. We're mermen, not _vampires._


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The _Crow's Nest_ has an eternal shadow.

When Noya reports to the deck of the _Crow’s Nest,_ he’s disheartened but unsurprised by the sight of another ship far too close to them in the marina. It’ll be near-impossible to navigate and get out to the open ocean without hitting it and _goddammit,_ isn’t that enough to count as interference with their jobs?

Clunking footsteps creak across the deck behind Noya. “Is that the assclown?” Tanaka asks while sneering down at the ship. 

“That’s the assclown,” Ukai confirms flatly, and they all stare dully at the little blue sports boat. “Before you ask, he’s _very_ carefully done this. He is exactly as far away as he needs to be from us legally so he doesn’t ‘get in our way’; I already asked Ittetsu.” He sighs and lights up another cigarette. “...he measured.”

“Seems a bit small for whatever he wants to do,” Tanaka mutters as he fastens his tools to himself. “Dunnit?”

Saeko leans over the railing to glare down at them; Tanaka has filled her in on the situation and she’s already filled with disdain for the man in the little boat below. “There's probably a bigger ship somewhere else. If this guy’s really out here breaking laws, he needs to be small to slip away quick,” she grumbles. “What a coward. He’s probably gonna fish up whatever he wants and then zip off out of here.”

Noya’s fingers clench around the railing and Saeko looks at him. She frowns, clearly sensing something is wrong, but before she can ask Ukai sharply hollers for them all to get moving. Yup, he is _pissed_ about this guy being so close like this, no mistaking it.

They steer their way out into the open ocean, but it’s a hell of a lot harder with Lorenzo’s boat right there. They’re used to having all the room they need because locals know better than to come near during fishing hours but now they have to watch out for someone else for the first time that Noya can remember. And unfortunately with the rocks littering the ocean floor near the Karasuno marina, it’s a task that’s even more difficult.

When they carefully pick their way out to sea, Noya’s more than a little aggravated to see Lorenzo’s ship following them, near silent over the sound of the roaring waves.

“Oh my god, what is this guy’s _problem?!”_ Saeko snaps over her shoulder. “He’s clearly after _something!”_

“I know,” Ukai grunts. “He’s gonna be a real pain in my ass until he gets it through his head there aren’t mers around here.”

“Mers?!” Saeko repeats in shock. “There haven’t been mers since the eighties! What is he on about?!”

“Hell if I know!” Ukai grunts and steers them out through the waves. “He thinks they’re out there and he’s gonna staple himself to us until he finds one!”

Noya grits his teeth and bites down a sharp response. He’s ready to go fight this asshole, but if he goes about it wrong and gets himself thrown in jail then he’s useless to Asahi. So he takes a deep breath and slowly hisses it out through his teeth as he prepares to cast out his nets instead.

There’s an underlying tension on deck today, and it’s unusual enough to throw the entire atmosphere off. Tanaka tries to keep the banter going like always, and Noya quickly follows, but it’s clear even as they fall into it that they’re out of step. There’s not as much heart in it as they normally would have, and the fact that this jackass can kill their rhythm so easily _infuriates_ Noya. On top of that, he can feel Tanaka’s eyes on him every other minute, like he wants to say something but knows he can’t in front of Saeko and Ukai.

Despite not being at their best, they still bring in a significant haul after a few hours on the water. The entire time Noya can see Lorenzo’s ship floating there in his peripheral vision, as if he’s just waiting to see them pull Asahi up from the ocean again so he can swoop in. Only Noya knows that this is the spot where they’d first found him, but...

A thought occurs to Noya that nearly makes his heart stop: _He’s seeing where we fish so he can come back when we’re gone._ And there’s _nothing_ he can do about it.

They sail back into the harbor at the end of the afternoon, and again their shadow Lorenzo follows them. They’re all still tense as they put the fish on ice to go out for the sundown market and carry the crates down to the dock. Kinnoshita and Narita meet them, as always, to take the boxes to their stall, but they’re glancing back in confusion at the blue sports boat looming ever present in the background.

“We’ve got a barnacle,” Ukai says flatly by way of explanation as he hands a crate to Kinnoshita. “Probably gonna be stuck with him for a while.”

“Oh,” Kinnoshita says, and he and Narita exchange a look. “...should we buy stuff off him, too?”

“Go anywhere near him and I’ll kick your ass,” Tanaka threatens with just a touch too much anger to be playful.

After they finish with the market and the sun has dipped below the horizon, Noya wants to go back into the ocean. He rushes down the boardwalk, passing by the lit shops so quickly that the lights blur in the corners of his vision. But by the time he gets back to the dock, Lorenzo’s boat is still too close for comfort. It’s now docked near a much larger boat, about the size of the _Crow’s Nest_ if not bigger, and Noya has no doubt that’s the rest of Lorenzo’s crew. The sports boat bobs in the harbor, empty for now, but the man must be close.

“So what’s the plan?”

Noya starts at Tanaka’s voice behind him and turns around. The other man stands before him, his face set with determination, as he stares down at Noya. His chest heaves from exertion; he must have chased Noya the whole way here.

And yet, Noya's confused. “Huh?” He looks up at Tanaka with eyebrows raised.

“The plan!” Tanaka punches his palm fiercely. “How are we gonna stop this guy?”

For the first time since Lorenzo rolled in, Noya suddenly realizes that he’s not alone. Tanaka’s got his back, just like he always has. The storm churning within him begins to calm and he’s guided to shore by the blazing light in his best friend’s eyes. A grin spreads across Noya’s face.

“I have a plan,” he says confidently. “I can’t say it here ‘cause I don’t know who’s listening.” Tanaka nods in understanding and they both turn to glare at the offending boats. “But I promise, dude - I’ve got an idea and I’m gonna call you when it’s time!” The last thing he wants to do is leave Tanaka in the dark about anything again. He owes him that much - they’re brothers for life.

“Awright!” Tanaka smirks and punches Noya’s shoulder lightly. “Don’t worry, man. We’re gonna get this. It’s you and me.” Tanaka’s confident declaration is enough for Noya to feel some real relief for the first time in days. Something in his abdomen unclenches and he and Tanaka tap knuckles.

They part with Noya promising to call Ryuu as soon as he’s ready to leap into action, and that it’ll be within the next few days. They’re both prepared and they give each other a nod before heading their separate ways.

Noya returns home to an empty doorstop, but he just knows that means he’s one day closer to the only plan he’s got.

* * *

Noya wakes with the dawn as he does every morning. He tosses open the curtains to look over the path leading down to the ocean; it’s overcast but the sun is threatening to break through the gloom and Noya smiles. It’s a new day and he’s going to tackle it the way he always does, no matter what gets thrown at him. He’ll start with his walk along the ocean - to hell with Lorenzo; if he wants to hang out and watch Noya like a creep, then he can watch Noya take a walk. And Noya’s going to _enjoy_ his routine.

His routine is upended when he opens his front door and nearly trips over a box.

Noya’s eyes widen as he kneels and grabs the box. _Oh my god._ There’s no return address on it, but his own name and address is delicately written on the front in slightly spidery handwriting. It’s smaller than a shoebox and marked “FRAGILE”; Noya immediately handles it with more care.

His heart pounds. Inside of this box is something that’s going to change his life. It’s the key to helping Asahi, the key to _their_ future together.

Noya takes the box inside and scurries up to the bathroom. He shuts the door and sits on the edge of the tub before carefully tearing the tape off of the box. The smell of incense wafts out of it and Noya briefly closes his eyes as he pushes the flaps aside.

Inside is packing foam, protecting the contents within. The glass bottle is beautifully round and thick - though the box was marked fragile he suspects that this bottle could take a beating. It’s corked tightly so that not a single drop will spill even through shipment and Noya picks it up to turn it over. It fits perfectly in the palm of his hand like it was made to be there.

This is it.

Noya swallows, places the bottle on his counter, and picks up his phone. With shaking fingers, he dials Tanaka.

On a day off, Tanaka is dead to the world until long after sunrise, so the call goes to voicemail. Noya inhales sharply before speaking to the machine.

“Hey, Ryuu? It’s time. ...I might be about to do something completely stupid. Can you come over as soon as you get this?”

He hangs up his phone and reaches for the bottle once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh noooo, Noya. What are you doing? (She says, as if she doesn't know.)
> 
> Just as a heads up, I'll be having surgery on the 19th. It's very minor and I'll be home the same day. But I wanted to give you all the heads up in case the next update is a little delayed. Thank you all for reading so far!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Be absolutely sure that this is what you want."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains heavy allusion to an uncomfortable/painful bodily experience for Noya. There are no explicit details and I kept everything very vague, but if his distress would make you uncomfortable, I completely understand! In this case, please skip from the line break to the line starting with "Oh, boy (...)" and read the note at the end.

The liquid inside sloshes slightly as Noya tilts the bottle again, considering. He thinks of his friends now - what they’ll say when they find out what he’s doing. Will Ukai be pissed he’s no longer around to bring in the hauls? Ennoshita will be exasperated and ask Noya if he’s really thought all this through. Saeko’s going to give him _so much shit,_ especially when she finds out about Asahi.

Tanaka...he’s the hardest one. Noya had promised to trust him with everything - and he is. That’s why he called Ryuu to ask him to come over - Noya’s trusting his best friend to help him get to the ocean safely, to execute his master plan. And he knows Tanaka will do that in a heartbeat.

But after changing, there’s no going back, and Noya’s perfectly happy with that. The question is whether or not Tanaka will be. What will he say?

Noya sighs. He’ll have a while to think about it. The tonic is slow-acting, after all.

With that thought shelved for now, Noya turns the bottle over in his hands, squinting down at it and remembering A’s warning. “ _Be completely sure this is what you want_ ,” he paraphrases.

Well - he’s absolutely sure. He thinks of the ocean. It’s always drawn him in all his life - he has vague memories of being a toddler, crawling down the beach towards the tide, and Saeko chasing him, grabbing him before a giant wave came crashing down on his head. But even then he showed no fear, just giggling and clapping happily in the face of the sea’s might and kicking his feet in the surf. 

He’s always thought of the ocean as home. And getting to actually see it - so, so much closer, all of the life and color and getting to practically _live in it_ that first moment after Asahi gave him the Breath - Noya knows this is where he belongs. He belongs among the colorful coral and the fish that are always so happy to see him. When the Breath ran out, Noya had been devastated to have to leave - he’d felt so _at home_ , and he had to return to the surface. There’s no place he’d rather be but in the waves that have called him since birth.

That’s not even bringing Asahi into the picture. Noya knows he loves Asahi, and he knows he would do just about anything for him. He’s sworn he would find a way to be with Asahi in _his_ world. Asahi has no love for the land - he’s rightfully _terrified_ of it, and Noya will never, ever put him through that.

Noya loves the sea, and he loves Asahi. There’s no question in his mind that he’s making the right decision.

“Well, here goes.” Noya grins, uncorks the bottle, and knocks it back as quickly as he can. And _god_ , it tastes foul! It tastes of seaweed wrapped around fish left out in the sun at market, topped off with a hint of artificial cherry - apparently to make it even a little more palatable? But Noya presses on and keeps chugging the disgusting concoction even as he wants to choke on it; this has to work and he has to drink it all.

His regret is near-instantaneous as he collapses to the floor.

* * *

Noya has little recollection of the following half-hour or so. He has no idea what exactly is happening to him, but he’s in _agony_ as he writhes helplessly on the floor. His hands scrabble behind him and knock over the bottles on the edge of the tub as he tries and fails to brace himself to rise. Pain shoots up and down his legs as he thrashes and kicks and a single thought cuts through it: _What’s happening to me?! Why is it so quick - ?_

He remembers A’s final warning: _...unless ingested by a human with mer blood._

Noya belatedly wonders if Saeko had been literal when she said Noya’s mother came in from the sea one stormy day. Had she been - ?

_(“Just like your mom,” Saeko smiles as she sips at her beer._

_“What?” This is the first that Noya’s hearing much of_ anything _about her; with his father gone there are very few people left in town who actually knew his mother._

_“Yeah.” Saeko sets the mug down. “If they didn’t know where to find her, it was usually a pretty good bet that she’d be out by the water. She seemed to really love the ocean even though she came in one day when the seas were real rough. Never saw the ship she came in on after that, though. She was tough as nails to make it through that.”_

_Noya looks down into his own glass. “...I didn’t know.”_

_“I know.” Saeko slings an arm around him and warmly pats his shoulder. “That’s why I wanted to tell you! I was little when you were born, so I don’t remember much about her - but I did remember Ma saying that. Hell, just two weeks ago she said that you look just like your mom when you go out and sit on the dunes, watching the waves.”)_

One particularly sharp throb of pain cuts off his train of thought and Noya chokes out a strangled noise as his back arches against the tile. His mother is gone, so he’ll never know. It doesn’t matter right now. At this moment all his brain can process is the searing pain from his hips down through his legs and silently pleading that it doesn’t get worse.

It promptly gets worse.

All of a sudden it’s harder to breathe. Pain lances along his neck and Noya’s teeth clench as he grits out a desperate noise. His breath comes shallower and he starts to panic. What’s happening to him? Is he changing already? It wasn’t supposed to be this soon; he’d expected to have enough time to _tell_ people what he was doing, for Tanaka to get there, to maybe get to some water - 

Distantly he hears the front door open downstairs. The only person who has a key to his front door is Tanaka; he must have finally woken up and checked his messages. But more importantly Noya knows that he needs to get into the water, and fast. Still gasping for breath, he fumbles for the bottle of shampoo he knocked from the edge of the tub and manages to close his fingers around it. Shutting his eyes, he uses all of his energy to hurl it towards the bathroom sink.

It strikes true, and his toothbrush and combs clatter to the ground; the noise is loud but may not be enough. From downstairs he hears Tanaka call up. “Noya?” He definitely sounds a bit worried; Noya almost regrets the tone of his voicemail now.

He looks where the bottle has fallen, and his gaze travels down his own body. Noya’s eyes widen as he realizes that his legs _have actually become a tail._ It’s a beautiful, shimmering orange - and Noya can’t focus on it further than that right now because of his inability to breathe. He grits his teeth and he gropes for another bottle that fell nearby. _Shit, Ryuu, come on, please -_ He throws this one at the door instead and it makes a loud bang.

“Noya?!” That’s Ennoshita too; Tanaka must have woken him and dragged him over. Noya tries to call out, tell them where he is, but the air is so dry and thin he can’t make words. 

A few seconds later they both burst into the bathroom and the door slams against the wall. There’s a long, tense pause where Tanaka and Ennoshita stare, eyes wide and mouths dropped at the sight of Noya, on the floor, _with an orange tail._

The first person to speak is Tanaka: “ _What the fuck, bro?!_ ”

Ennoshita immediately goes into action once the shock wears off and lunges for the cup that permanently lives on the bathroom counter. “Ryuu, plug the tub and start some water! We’ve got to get Noya in it!” He fills the cup as Tanaka stammers out an affirmative and carefully steps over Noya.

“Noya, what the _fuck?_ ” Tanaka says again desperately, willing the tub to fill faster. 

Noya looks at Tanaka with wide eyes, wishing he could manage any words at all, but suddenly splutters when Ennoshita dumps a cup of cold water over his face and throat. Noya can feel the cool rush over what he assumes are his new gills along his throat. It’s not enough, but it’s _something_ , and it should hold Noya over until he can get in the water.

The tub is still filling, but Tanaka kneels and gets his arms under Noya’s. “Chikara, get his - ” He trails off and looks down Noya’s body at the shimmering orange tail, clearly unsure of what to say for a moment. “...other end.”

Ennoshita looks as if he wants to rebut that, but closes his mouth when he can’t think of a better word and sighs as he squats. He gets his arms around Noya’s tail, face scrunching up when it twitches and nearly gets him in the face. “Lift on three, ready?” At Tanaka’s short nod, Ennoshita blows out a breath. “One, two...three!”

Both men exhale as they stand, lifting Noya. He’s still not heavy, even with his - new appendage - but he is definitely more awkward to lift. They make it the few steps to the tub and after another brief countdown haul Noya almost gracelessly into the water.

Thankfully the tub is fast-filling, so Noya can at least immediately get his face under the cool water. The instant his gills are submerged he gasps, feeling blessed relief at how much easier he can breathe now. God, that seemed _way_ too close. He stays underneath the water for a few moments, letting himself get a bit stronger before emerging once more. His hair drips all over the bathroom and Noya peeks through his bangs at Ennoshita and Tanaka.

Oh, boy, do they look _perplexed and pissed._

Ennoshita runs a hand through his hair and exhales slowly. His bangs flop back into place and he looks at Noya, clearly bewildered. “Noya, what the hell is going on _?_ ”

Noya opens his mouth to answer, but Tanaka interrupts, fists clenching at his sides. “Dude, _this was your plan?!_ ” 

Noya’s grin is sheepish and his tail twitches in the water, sending it spraying over himself. “Um. Well. I _told_ you I was gonna call you…”

Ennoshita sees the bottle on the floor and frowns as he stoops to pick it up. He turns it over before looking back up at Noya, a clear mixture of concern and pain from dealing with Noya’s antics crossing his face. “Noya, did you _drink_ this?”

“It was my best option!” Noya argues, yanking his wet shirt off before casting it next to the tub with a wet _plop_. 

“ _Dude_.” Tanaka snags the bottle from Ennoshita and looks at it with shock. “Noya, you - holy shit, dude, you _turned yourself into a merman?!_ ” His gaze fixes on Noya and he grabs the top of his head. “I can’t believe _this_ was your plan the whole time!”

“Plan?!” Ennoshita cuts in. “You did this on _purpose?_ ”

Noya looks between the two of them and sighs. “Guess I should explain.”

He walks through the past few weeks, mostly for Ennoshita’s benefit since Tanaka knows most of the story already. He highlights the time he's shared with Asahi, and just how much he's been on Noya's mind since their first chance meeting. Noya’s hands move wildly as he describes the world below the waves that Asahi has brought him to. He tells them how Asahi had opened his eyes and showed him just how much there is to the sea, and Noya’s promise to him. 

His face goes dark as he describes the danger of Lorenzo and how the man is throwing off everything about their town; Ennoshita nods silently. He’s not unaware of the threat to the fishers, but now Noya explains how Asahi and his friends are in danger and the pallor that Lorenzo casts is even clearer. It’s more understandable now how Noya desperately threw himself into searching online for ways to become a merman.

They’ve reached the end of the story and Noya wraps it up. “...so yeah! I called Ryuu before I drank the potion, but it acted really fast and I ended up on the floor. Kinda didn’t think it would go that fast, honestly.” Noya leans over the edge of the tub. He pillows his head on his folded arms, which leaves him in the perfect position to smash his chin into the side when Tanaka punches him. “OW!” Noya yelps and rubs his head. “Ryuu! What the hell?!”

“No, Noya, _you_ don’t get to say that!” Tanaka looks like he’s about to slug Noya again and Ennoshita only vaguely looks like he’s planning to intervene if he does. “When you said we’d do this together, _this isn’t what I thought you meant!_ ” He gives a bewildered laugh somewhere between infuriated and hysterical. “Why the hell didn’t you wait for me?! You got some sketchy-looking _koolaid_ thing off the internet and your dumb ass drinks it _alone?!_ ” He leans closer and pokes his finger right into Noya’s face. “What the _hell,_ Noya?! You’re lucky you’re _only_ a merman and not _dead!_ Chikara and I could be here picking up your dead body!”

Noya winces as each fiercely punctuated sentence strikes true. “Well yeah, when you say it like that, it sounds really bad,” he mumbles, but not quietly enough and Tanaka lets out a roar before lunging for him. With a yelp, Noya ducks back under the water. It’s unfortunately not deep enough to keep him from hearing Tanaka continue to rant over the rushing of the faucet.

“You couldn’t give me some kind of a goddamn hint you were planning this?! Oh, and now you’re hiding in the bath? Don’t _think_ I won’t come in there after you and kick your scaly ass! I have _no_ problem getting wet for this!”

Noya knows damn well he means it, too, and he emerges with an exasperated gasp. “Gah! Yeah, maybe it was stupid, okay?!”

“It was,” Ennoshita interrupts, and Noya shoves his hands through his hair.

“Look! I swear I thought this all through!” Noya protests. “And okay, I _probably_ should have waited for you - ”

“You should have,” Ennoshita cuts in once more as he leans over to turn off the faucet.

“ - but I had to do _something!_ I couldn’t just sit here and let this guy try and find Asahi! We’re supposed to meet up _tonight_ and - ” Noya pauses as his hands slowly unclench from his hair and he looks up at his friends. “...and I thought if I waited to change I wouldn’t get another chance.”

Noya wants nothing more than for Asahi to be safe. And yet, he wants to be with Asahi, too. Noya now recognizes that there’s some little selfish part of him that fears that when he warns Asahi about Lorenzo, the other man will disappear into the ocean and they’ll be separated forever. At that point even though Noya has figured out how to be a merman, he has no idea where to find Asahi and an infinite ocean in which to lose him.

If Noya can disappear with him, then it seems like the best course of action.

There’s a moment of silence and Tanaka sighs as he leans back against the tub. “So you wanted to turn yourself into a merman to warn him about Lorenzo...and go with him.” His voice is so low and so unlike himself that it makes Noya’s stomach churn. Tanaka rests his head back on the lip of the bathtub. Ennoshita closes the bathroom door behind him and sits against it, watching them both silently.

Noya swallows and turns to face Tanaka, who’s still staring ahead at the metal rack with an old blue towel. “Yeah,” he says. “I wanna be with him, Ryuu. He’s…”

How can he describe just how much Asahi has changed his worldview in such a short amount of time? Anyone who’s known Noya for more than five minutes knows just how much he loves the other world that is the ocean, but after meeting Asahi Noya has a much more complete picture to paint. He’s seen so many wonderful things and has had the privilege of meeting the kindest person he’s ever known. And yet he struggles to find the words that he needs to say now to make his oldest friend understand.

“...he’s really special,” is how Noya finally finishes that sentence.

There’s a slow, shaky breath indicating that Tanaka is trying to get his thoughts together. “Dude, you know we just want you to be happy,” he says after a beat. “I know you’re crazy about this guy - you didn’t have to say it; I could tell.” He cuts off Noya’s interruption with his hand up. “I know that something means a lot to you when you can’t even find the words to describe it. But...honestly, Yuu?” He tips his head back a bit more and tilts his gaze towards Noya, and there’s the beginnings of a smile on his face. “I think meeting this guy just made you look for a way to live in the water faster than you would have. Seriously, we can’t pin you down on land for more than a few minutes at a time.”

Ennoshita props his chin in his hand and gives Noya a little smile as he finally speaks up. “You love the sea,” he says, “and it’s always seemed like your _real_ home. I’m kind of surprised it took you this long.”

Noya thinks about this and rests his head on his folded arms once more. “I kinda didn’t realize it was an option,” he says slowly. “But when I met Asahi, it was like I got to see this whole other amazing world. Like - bright and colorful and _woah_ , you know? It was like I was living with sunglasses on my whole life and then I got to take them off.”

Ennoshita and Tanaka grin at each other. “That’s what I said about meeting Chikara,” Tanaka grins. “You’ve _really_ got a thing for him.”

Noya’s cheeks redden but he snickers. “Bet I sound just as lovesick as you did,” he teases. “But it took me a hell of a lot less time to do something about it!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Tanaka cackles as he reaches over to ruffle Noya’s wet hair. “So, like, is it weird to ask if we can see it?”

Noya shrugs and shifts his weight slightly to let his tail spill over the edge of the tub. “I don’t think so? I mean, it’s just kinda like looking at my legs, yeah?”

Tanaka and Ennoshita lean closer and the lighting in Noya’s bathroom reflects off of his tail to cast an almost golden glow over their faces. There’s an innumerable amount of scales, all looking like overlapping golden coins laying against the smooth line of Noya’s new appendage. The color glints in Tanaka’s eyes as he reaches out and brushes his fingertips the wrong direction along the scales and Noya snorts with laughter.

“Can you not?” he says. “It feels weird.”

“You’re telling me,” Tanaka says. “Like pettin’ a cat the wrong way.” His attention turns now to the gossamer-like texture of the thin fins at the tip of Noya's tail and along the sides and he lets them run smoothly over his hand.

Ennoshita rolls his eyes and smooths out the few scales now sticking up, rubbing his fingers together when he sees that a few translucent gold pieces are now sticking to them. “Are they supposed to come off so easily?”

“Huh?” Noya leans closer and Ennoshita shows him his fingers. “Huh, dunno. I mean, they come off of regular fish pretty easily, don’t they?”

“Woah, dude. It’s like gold dust.” Tanaka leans in, too. “They hold color better than regular fish scales. They’re really pretty.”

They all look for a moment longer before Ennoshita wipes his hand off on his shorts, making sure there’s no trace of scales on his fingers any longer. “...I would bet money that that’s the least of what Lorenzo is after,” he says, and the moment of awe over Noya’s new form is broken.

The mood shifts and Tanaka leans back and pounds his fist into his hand. “Awright, Noya. This was part of your plan - so what’s next?”

Noya looks between his friends and his expression goes serious. “Asahi and me were already supposed to meet up tonight,” he says. “This stuff was supposed to act pretty slow, so I was hoping to drink it and then talk to you, and then ask you to two help me get down to the beach to wait. Then I would be close to the water when it kicked in, but…”

“...but you couldn’t wait two damn seconds,” Tanaka says as he punches Noya’s shoulder.

“Any idea why it acted so quickly?” Ennoshita asks, lightly catching Tanaka’s hand before he punches Noya again.

“...maybe one,” Noya says. “But it’s pretty wild.”

“Ha!” Tanaka throws his head back with a laugh. “And you suddenly sprouting a tail isn’t?”

Noya laughs and twitches his tail, grinning when both Ennoshita and Tanaka splutter at the spray. “True! Alright, alright. Guess I can tell you what I’m thinking. Besides…” He sinks back into the water to rehydrate before popping back out with eyes gleaming. “I’ve got a while before I’m supposed to meet Asahi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! If you skipped the text that I mentioned, there's one important thing to know from it: it's pretty heavily implied that Noya's mother was mer.
> 
> My surgery went well and I'm recovering well so things should be on track from here on out!
> 
> I hope you've been enjoying so far! c:


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Long buried memories show Noya this is where he needs to be, and it's time to take him to where land meets sea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay! I've been a bit busy getting back to work and this one had me a bit stuck. I hope it came together as well as I wanted it to!

“...so you think your mom was a mermaid?” Tanaka asks, propping his chin into his hand.

Noya leans across the edge of the tub to grab the bag of Seaweedies from Tanaka before shoving a handful in his mouth. There are a few other snacks around the tub, courtesy of Ennoshita running down to the kitchen to fetch something to eat now that Noya’s going to be stuck in a bathtub for the rest of the day. (Noya _really_ hadn’t thought that far ahead.) He swallows a bit roughly before settling back into the water.

“I mean, it’s the only thing I can think,” he says. “A’s warning said that the potion works slowly unless you’ve got mer blood. And Saeko told me that my mom used to spend a lot of time by the ocean like me, so…”

“Wow.” Ennoshita blows out a slow breath. “...you don’t think it could be your dad, though?”

That thought gives Noya pause. “I don’t know, maybe,” he shrugs. “I kinda don’t think so.” He knows that his father had grown up in Karasuno and now knows his mother had settled in later. “But I don’t remember much about him, either, so what do I know?”

There’s a touch of bitterness to it - Noya does remember a bit of his father, but not much, and little of it is favorable. His most vivid memory of the man is watching him leave after walking his toddler son over to the Tanaka house; Noya hadn’t yet known that was the last anyone of Karasuno would ever see of him. No, _that_ was discovered when he never came back to pick Noya up that evening. 

Ennoshita knows some of this. Noya’s not upset at him for bringing it up - it’s a fair question. But right now, he doesn’t really want to think about his father.

Tanaka recognizes what’s happening and intervenes. “Nahh. If Sis says you’re like your Ma, then it was probably your Ma,” he says. Subtly he touches the sole of his foot against Ennoshita’s and their eyes meet. Ennoshita nods; he understands. “You remember anything about her?”

Noya closes his eyes and rests his head against his folded arms as he thinks. Memories of his mother are faint, but there are a few buried deep inside that he can access if he strains.

After a moment of thinking, he has something. “...she always smelled like salt,” Noya says, and Tanaka lets out a little guffaw.

“Wasn’t expecting that,” he says, and Noya and Ennoshita both laugh as well.

“Yeah, well, if she was always hanging out by the water, I shouldn’t be surprised,” Noya says. He’s smiling now as he thinks harder, to see what else he remembers.

(There’s a long-buried memory of being cradled in slim but strong arms and a warm chin resting on top of his head. Long hair spills around his shoulders, but it’s not his - it belongs to the woman holding him. The smell of salt pleasantly stings even in the present and Noya strains to hold onto that memory like trying to hold hot sand in his fingers.

Noya hears a soft tune that he struggles to place now, but he feels like it’s a heart song - one that he heard a lot as a child but the sands of time have worn away. His little hands pat the sand beneath him rhythmically and happily, and the humming above him pauses as the woman chuckles.

“You like the sand, don’t you, Yuu?” she says, and the smile in her voice is so evident. A sudden wave washes up and around them and Noya squeals happily along with _his mother._

“Mama! Mama! The sea!” he cries in excitement, slapping his hands fervently into the water and sending it splashing around them.

“Yes, the sea!” She’s just as excited as him and she kisses the top of his head. When the wave recedes Noya’s exuberance does as well, and his mother resumes her soft song as Noya continues to happily pat the sand.

 _“I wanna be where the people are. I wanna see - wanna see them dancin’; walkin’ around on those -_ ” She pauses and leans over to playfully grab Noya’s toes, making him squeal. “Whaddya call ‘em?” He gleefully answers at the same time she speaks. “Oh, feet.” Noya doesn’t realize that he’s mumbled it aloud into his arms, confusing Ennoshita and Tanaka as they exchange a shrug.

He can’t remember all of the lyrics, but the sound of his mother’s lilting voice continues as words flit in and out of his memory. “ _Up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun. Wanderin’ free...wish I could be...part of that world.”_

It’s a lovely memory, and the most that Noya has ever remembered about his mother.

That makes it ache all the more when he turns in her arms and looks up, but sees only the dying sun backlighting her like a glowing halo.)

Noya blinks and realizes his cheeks are wet as he touches his hand to them. “H-huh,” he says. “...no. I - I think it was my mom who was mer.”

Tanaka sees Noya’s tears and swallows. Despite the tough exterior, he really does have a soft heart and it’s hard to see Noya’s obvious distress. “Yeah, I believe ya,” he says, and his voice is a touch thicker.

Ennoshita tilts his head and watches them both, smiling at his tenderhearted friends. He hands Tanaka a roll of toilet paper and the other man tears off a strand with which to loudly blow his nose. Nobody openly acknowledges their tears even when Noya rips off some toilet paper as well.

“I wonder what she’d say,” Noya says before wiping his eyes. “About what I’m doing.”

“Honestly? It sounds like she gave up being a mer to be human,” Ennoshita says. “She loved the land enough to want to be part of it. And...you’re doing the same thing, just the other way.”

Noya has no idea what his mother would say. He can barely remember her. But what he remembers of her smile and her song...he agrees. A smile crosses his face. “Following my heart,” he says. “...wonder if she was in love, too.”

They sit with that for a few moments, Noya's tail twitching thoughtfully and accidentally spraying Tanaka again. 

“Oi, watch that thing!” Tanaka snaps before slapping the surface of the water and spritzing Noya. Noya cackles and does it again, and Tanaka turns toward him to be in a better position to try and dunk him under the water. 

But before they can really go to war, Ennoshita reaches over and seizes Tanaka by the arm. “Come on, let’s make something to eat before you two flood the bathroom,” he says with a fond shake of his head.

There’s a brief intermission while Tanaka and Ennoshita go downstairs to make some lunch for them, and Noya’s left alone. Without his friends there, Noya has no need to stay above the water and sinks down into the tub, sighing at how cramped and uncomfortable the tiny space is. He’s looking forward to getting into the ocean for more reasons than just seeing Asahi - the bathtub really is no place for a mer to live. It’s small, there’s barely enough water to cover him, and he’s already bored by himself.

With nothing else to do to entertain himself (not to mention the exhaustion from his transformation) Noya dozes, but is woken when Ennoshita and Tanaka return with a few sandwiches. He emerges from the water, excited at the prospect of real food rather than snacks. 

“Oh my god, those look so good!” he crows. “Toss me one!”

Ennoshita hands him one and Noya eagerly bites into it with a mumbled thanks. There’s a look exchanged between Ennoshita and Tanaka as they take their own sandwiches, but they wait until they’re a few bites in before speaking up.

“We kinda realized something,” Tanaka says, and the serious tone to his voice makes Noya stop mid-bite. “When we were downstairs. ...this might be the last time we see you, Noya.”

Noya freezes, nearly dropping his sandwich as he looks up at Tanaka. It takes him a moment to process this, but he waves it off with a smile. “What? You think you’re getting rid of me that easy? This isn’t the last time you’re gonna see me!” Noya puffs up and jabs a thumb into his chest. “I just gotta warn Asahi and then I can come back in like a week to see you all! Heck, I can be here like every week to hang out!”

Noya is sure this will solve the issue, but the silence that hangs makes him doubt and his stomach flip. Ennoshita’s expression is hard to read as he lowers the sandwich to the napkin in his lap. “We don't know how long Lorenzo will stay here looking for mers,” he points out. “He could set up camp for weeks, months...it wouldn't be safe for any of you. Even if you wanted to check in on us, it's too dangerous.” His gaze meets Noya's. “If you get too close, he could be there, waiting.”

“That guy...Yuu, he could kill you.” Tanaka’s hands fist atop his thighs. “I get that you wanna protect your man. Hell, I'd do the same for Chikara. But you gotta realize that you're in just as much danger now, too.” His lips press together hard and he refuses to meet Noya's eyes. “You probably...shouldn't come back for a while.”

Noya's heart sinks and something in him already knows that _they're right._ It's too dangerous for him to return to the shores as long as Lorenzo is still in Karasuno. Even if Noya isn't immediately grabbed up upon his return, he can potentially lead Lorenzo right to the grotto when he leaves. He bites his lip and looks down as well. “...oh,” is all that comes out. 

Silence falls, and it's long and uncomfortable. Tanaka still won't look at Noya, but he's clearly hurting and hoping for one of Noya's seemingly ridiculous ideas that could solve the problem. 

For once, Noya has nothing. He looks down at his shimmering tail and swishes it gently in the water. He’s gotten what he wants, now - he’s a merman. And that comes with all the wonderful parts along with the terrible disadvantages. 

He swallows. _Find another way._ That has always been how he is; he refuses to lie down and let life crash over him. “So what?” he finally says firmly, eyes flashing as he looks at them. “So what if I have to stay away for a while? What, you two are gonna ditch me or something?” He grins wolfishly. “Even if it takes months or years, you two are my best friends. And I'm not letting go of either of you without a fight! No matter how long it takes, I’m coming back!”

He's ready to pick himself back up now. What's done is done - he's prepared for his new life and all of its ups and downs. He'll navigate them all - no storm will keep him from either his boyfriend or his friends. 

Ennoshita and Tanaka both take heart from his vehement proclamation; there’s such conviction to Noya’s words that it’s damn near impossible to doubt him. Noya believes in himself, in them, and their friendship with everything he has - so much so that there’s no stopping him once he’s set his mind to something.

“No matter how long it takes, huh?” Ennoshita smiles. “That sounds like you.”

“That’s all I wanna hear,” Tanaka says, a grin slowly spreading his face as he turns around and punches Noya’s arm.

Noya laughs and lightly rubs the spot. “Ha, maybe me and Asahi can go on a beach double date or something with you guys once this is all cleared up.”

“Speaking of!” Tanaka chops his hand into his palm, clearly eager and distracted by the idea of Noya’s boyfriend. “You gotta plan what you’re gonna do! You’re gonna show Asahi your tail, yeah?! But how are you gonna get there? What are you gonna say?!”

Noya's heart thumps in excitement. There's only a few hours until he can see Asahi now; it's time to think about what comes next. “I need to get down to the ocean, obviously,” he says. “I was hoping you two would give me a hand!”

Tanaka and Ennoshita briefly look at each other. “...that tail doesn’t exactly make you easy to carry, Noya, and we can’t just take you outside with it out like that,” Ennoshita says. “I know we’re just going down through your backyard, but people could be around on the beach.”

Tanaka throws his head back with a laugh. “Maybe Ukai has a wheelbarrow we can borrow,” he cackles before Noya punches him.

“Yeah, ‘cause he’s not gonna ask why you need a _wheelbarrow,_ dumbass,” Noya snaps, “and people would still see me like that!” He’s drying out, so he dives back under the water to wait there for a moment and think. He emerges a bit later with a deep gasp as he tosses his head and sprays the bathroom with water. “We’re supposed to meet at sunset. If there’s nobody on the beach around then, can you just get me to the sand? I’ll wiggle down the hill myself if I have to!”

Ennoshita sighs as he wipes water off of his face. “Noya, we’re not going to throw you in the sand and make you writhe around like a worm to get to the ocean,” he says. “What kind of friends do you think we are? We’ll get you to the water.”

“How long can you breathe outta the water?” Tanaka asks. “That tells us how long we’ve got to get you down to the sea.”

“Maybe 15 minutes?” Noya says. “Then I just get really dried out.” Asahi has stayed out of the water for longer; as long as he occasionally dips into the ocean to rehydrate he's fine for a while and Noya is sure it'll be the same for him.

“Alright,” Tanaka says. “You ain’t that hard to lift; we’ll get you down to the ocean. Don’t worry about it.” He claps a hand down on Noya's shoulder and smiles, and there's genuine happiness to it - Noya knows that they're all going to be okay. 

The rest of the afternoon slips away quietly as they all sit and talk - Noya asks Tanaka to grab him some paper and a pencil, and spends time writing notes to Takeda, Ukai, and Saeko. It's ideally not how he wants to tell them that he’s disappearing into the waves, but with time running out he doesn't have time to wait for them to get there and have to explain everything. “Ask forgiveness, not permission,” he mutters around the pencil in his mouth at one point before taking it out to slowly write “sorry :/” on the bottom of Ukai’s note. 

Maybe it's best he'll be away for a while. They'll have time to cool off and will be about 60% less likely to throttle him when he does come back. 

As the sunset draws closer, fog begins to roll in outside the bathroom window. The air between them becomes slightly heavier, too, and they all know the time has come. 

The slightly heavier air is present, but doesn't affect them as much as one would think. Ennoshita scopes out the beach while Tanaka and Noya get ready, trading ideas as Noya hydrates one last time. (“Maybe we should just carry you down in a blanket hammock and dump you in the sand. Or like...could you walk on your hands and I'll hold your tail? Like one’a those wheelbarrow races from school.” Noya reluctantly rejects both of these, as fun as they sound.)

Ennoshita returns a few minutes later with the declaration that the coast is clear; Tanaka and Noya both double over laughing at the unintentional pun until Ennoshita calmly threatens to leave Tanaka's lunch for the seagulls - then only Noya's laughing. 

It takes a few more minutes before they puzzle out the best way to move Noya. Tanaka is the first one to remember the time Noya got so sick he needed carried to the doctors’, and that he was the one to do it with Noya slumped over his back. 

“Was easier when I could grab both your legs,” he mutters as he crouches next to the tub so Noya can lay against his back. “Is that thing like - can you move it around?” He gestures with his chin to Noya's tail. 

“Are you asking if it's prehensile?” Ennoshita asks, eyebrows shooting straight up. 

“I can't like, wrap it around you like a snake,” Noya cackles. “But I can try.”

He tries, to mid success. He can’t really get it wrapped around Tanaka to the point he feels entirely secure as it just flat out doesn't bend that way, and Tanaka can really only hold his tail with one arm. But Noya trusts Tanaka and holds on tightly; they manage to steadily make their way out of the bathroom.  
  
Ennoshita takes a towel and drapes it over Noya’s back. It’s not ideal, but it will probably hide his tail if there are any casual onlookers - however, closer examination will reveal the shimmering gold tail peeking out of the bottom.

“Eh, I’m not worried,” Noya shrugs. “I think it’s fine.”

“Don’t talk so much, bruh,” Tanaka shoots over his shoulder. “You’re gonna dry out even faster.”

“I’ll dump some water over him before we go,” Ennoshita gently smirks.

The fog is still thick enough that even if anyone else were out on the beach, they wouldn’t see Noya. Even so, they move quickly and quietly down to the waves lapping at the shore. Tanaka’s bare feet pad heavily through the sand with Noya’s weight on his back, and Ennoshita’s sandals kick up the slightly damp granules around them as they hurry to where land meets sea. 

When the sand beneath them becomes wetter and heavier, they stop. Tanaka slowly crouches into the surf, the water swirling around his feet and sucking him down into the sopping ground beneath him, and Noya somewhat gracelessly rolls off of him and into the surf. The waves are cool and refreshing around him and Noya feels his body cry out in anticipation and respond to it, shuffling around eagerly. His eyes widen in excitement and he grins wildly as he rolls over onto his stomach.

Tanaka hesitates a long moment before firmly patting Noya’s shoulder and drawing his friend’s gaze. “Go on, Yuu,” he says quietly. “Get outta here.”

Noya stares up at Tanaka before pushing himself up and punching Tanaka lightly in the arm. He grips his friend’s bicep and gives him a smile.

Ennoshita comes to crouch behind Tanaka, placing a comforting hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder just above where Noya’s hand rests. “Be careful, Noya,” he says. “We’ll hide out until you leave, just make sure everything goes okay.” With the ever present shadow that Lorenzo casts over Karasuno, he’s not comfortable leaving Noya completely alone - though he knows that they’ll have to stay out of sight for Noya’s boyfriend to be comfortable emerging from the water. “And we’ll see you soon.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Noya promises in a whisper.

Tanaka nods and a little smile crosses his face as he squeezes Noya’s shoulder. “I know,” he says. “Go get your man.”

Noya nods, swallowing around the lump in his throat. He’s eager to get into the ocean and find Asahi, but he’s finding it difficult to actually say goodbye to his two best friends. He opens his mouth to try and find the words he needs to say, but Tanaka shakes his head and playfully mushes a hand over Noya's mouth.

“Don’t say anything,” he says to save them both from speaking. “You’re gonna dry out. Get going.”

Noya nods and watches as they both stand. Their hands lace together as Tanaka and Ennoshita turn and disappear back into the fog.

A wistful smile crosses Noya’s face when he can no longer see them. He’s going to miss them so much, and it makes him all the more determined to come back as soon as possible.

But for now...a wave breaks over his tail and draws his attention, and his heart starts pounding at the thought of what comes next. _Asahi._ He’s finally going to see Asahi again.

The golden sun is low on the horizon and it tries to cut through the fog, though it's still so thick Noya can barely see a foot in front of him. Still, he knows that the merman is coming, and he grins as he switches his tail in the tide. The waves lap around him and he squirms impatiently as he waits for the telltale sounds of splashing that indicate Asahi has arrived. They’re so close to their meeting time now, and he can’t wait to surprise the merman with his new tail. He can't wait to show Asahi that he's ready to begin _their_ life. Weeks of dreaming have brought him here and his stomach flips with excitement.

He hears splashes in the surf and perks up. “Asahi?!” he calls. Noya can’t tell where the splash comes from, but it’s usually the sound that precedes Asahi crawling up to shore. He lays flat on his belly and wiggles towards deeper waters to meet him halfway. He knows he should be patient, but Noya can’t help himself. He’s just too damn excited to see his boyfriend after what's felt like an eternity apart, especially with the looming danger.

From out of the fog, he hears boots crunching over wet sand and Noya’s blood runs cold. That’s...not the right sound. His stomach drops out and Noya realizes he's in danger. He reels backwards and tries to scramble away from the waves, but shadowy figures emerge from the fog and stride towards him. With his new form, he finds that it’s impossible to move as fast as he needs to - he can't _run_ , and Noya can’t drag himself away in time. 

“Get the hell away from me!” he shouts up at them, tail twitching angrily as he writhes in the sand, making some attempt to get away. But two of the men lunge forward, each seizing one of his arms and hauling him up. They’re both incredibly strong and reek of fish and their muscles flex to hold Noya immobile between them despite his frantic thrashing and yelling.

The worst part is when the fog parts to reveal Lorenzo, splashing heavily through the tide towards them. Even behind his sunglasses Noya can see the dangerous glint in his eyes as he stalks closer, closing the distance completely before reaching out to grab Noya by the chin and tip his head up. Noya’s voice dies in his throat as the salty air begins to dry him out and his eyes go wide with a burst of fear when Lorenzo speaks.

“Hello, little mer,” he says with a slow grin. “Why don’t you tell me more about Asahi.”

 _Oh my god,_ Noya thinks as he struggles. _No, no,_ **_no!_ ** _If they're here, and Asahi was supposed to meet me, then - !_ His breath hitches and panic seizes him at the thought of his sweet, gentle merman being in the clutches of this odious man. He can't even imagine what Lorenzo would do to Asahi, and Noya feels his eyes stinging at the thought of Asahi trapped and helpless, eyes so wide and wet with terror. 

Noya glowers and his eyes turn dark, glittering dangerously with the emotion he tries to hold back. “Like hell I’ll tell you anything,” he says despite the vice grip on his chin. He furiously yanks his arm as hard as he can, accidentally driving his elbow straight back into the man on his right. There's a sound of hard bone meeting squishy face, and the man yelps and nearly drops Noya in the sand. 

The way Lorenzo’s lips twist in fury gives Noya a half-second of satisfaction before he’s hauled up and slapped hard across the face. His head wrenches harshly to the right, giving him a momentary view of the goon he knocked flat. Lorenzo laughs, his voice low and cruel, as Noya is manhandled into the grasp of the other poacher with both arms pinned. 

“You’re lucky I don’t want to damage you, or I’d have hit you harder,” he says. “My sale options are _far_ more limited that way.”

Noya grits his teeth and stares back despite his stinging cheek, eyes blazing. There’s a pause before Lorenzo leans in further. Noya resists the urge to attempt to reel back and holds firm, glaring ceaselessly as the other man examines his face. He actually removes his sunglasses and peers at Noya before shock clearly registers in his expression.

“You’re the boy from the bar,” he says slowly, actually managing to sound a bit rattled for the first time. “But now you’re mer. How could this…?”

Oh. _Oh, no._ Noya hasn’t counted on being recognized, nor has he stopped to consider the implications of what this could mean. _Lorenzo knows his face._

“Bring him to the ship,” Lorenzo finally says. “I have a few things I need to know that only he can answer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super special thanks to Mal for helping me rework pieces of this chapter!! I would have been so stuck without you, friend :3


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Find another way._ But when he's tied to the front of a ship and slowly drying out, Noya has no idea what that other way could be. And for once, he's not sure that there's anything he can do.

Noya coughs and splutters as a cold bucket of sea water is dumped over his face and gills, and he glowers up at Lorenzo from where he’s bound and prone on the floor of the boat. Rope binds his wrists above his head and the other end is tied off to some heavy equipment nearby, effectively keeping Noya on a short leash. This is the second bucket of water that’s been dumped on him since he was tossed to the floor a few minutes ago.

“I can’t have you drying out on me,” Lorenzo says sharply. “Now, talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you,” Noya spits back at him, venom in his voice and fury in his eyes. And he doesn’t - his single saving grace is that Lorenzo and his crew haven’t found Asahi yet, so Noya refuses to give them any information.

He grins sardonically. What can they do to him? If he’s dead, they can’t find out what he knows. All they can do is keep him alive by dumping water on him or sticking him in a tiny tank with barely enough room for him to move. But Noya doesn’t care. He’ll resign himself to life in a cage as long as Asahi is safe.

Lorenzo squats over him and takes Noya’s chin in hand again. “Your tenacity is almost cute,” he growls. “But if you refuse to speak to me, _little mer,_ it’s going to make things even worse.” His grip tightens. “Where are the others?”

Noya scoffs, arms flexing against the ropes to test them. “I’m telling you I’m the only one,” he says. “You got every single mer in Karasuno on your boat.”

Lorenzo tilts his head and stares down at Noya. “You’d want me to believe that, wouldn’t you,” he says. “But I’ve had an ear to the ground for weeks, boy. The rumors of the mers? You don’t look like the one they’ve been whispering about.” A slow grin spreads his face as he continues. “A young man, strong and built, with long, flowing brown hair. They said he has the _cutest_ smile, too.”

Noya's stomach turns as he listens to Lorenzo describe his boyfriend; the words sound taunting and _dangerous_. Someone must have seen him and Asahi at some point. The only cold comfort he can take is that it’s taken this long for anything to come of it.

“They weren’t looking close enough, obviously,” Noya snorts, trying to cover as best as he can. “It’s just me! And as you can see, I don’t look anything like that!”

A humorless laugh slips out of Lorenzo as he stands and straightens to his full height. “And I guess they’re seeing double, too? Since all of the whispers centered around this mer and _you_ , Nishinoya Yuu. The boy who lives in the sea without a tail...except now you have one.” He kneels again and takes the end of Noya’s tail in hand without much delicacy - just enough care not to damage it, but heedless of whether or not he causes Noya pain turning it this way and that. “And I want to know how you did it.”

Noya squirms furiously, tugging hard against his binds. “Why?” he spits. “So you can go for a dip? Try the city pool, asshole.”

“Oh, I _like_ this one.” Lorenzo grins darkly. “Maybe I’ll just sell you to an aquarium instead of plucking off all your scales and selling them. It’s almost a shame to deprive the world of your _mouth._ ”

He gestures to one of his men, who brings another bucket and hands it to Lorenzo. Noya grits his teeth and clenches his fists to brace himself, but Lorenzo doesn’t immediately toss the contents at him.

“Food for thought,” he says instead. “If you won’t tell me anything, then I’m going to have to search on my own.” He leans closer. “And I will stop at _nothing_ until I find what I came for. Whether or not there’s collateral damage...that’s kind of up to you, now isn’t it?”

Noya growls in fury as he strains again to break free. The implication is clear: Lorenzo’s going to tear the oceans of Karasuno apart unless Noya tells him what he wants to know.

“Bastard,” he spits out before another bucket of water is thrown in his face. This one is just as cold as the first two, and Noya can taste the salt thick on his tongue as he tries not to swallow any of it. He coughs violently, expelling the little that he did manage to get into his lungs onto the deck. He hates that this is actually working, that this will undoubtedly keep him alive for a longer period of time so that they can use him in their scheme. But Noya will take anything to make sure that Asahi stays alive. “Do whatever you want with me - there’s nobody else!”

“You’re really going to keep up this facade, then,” Lorenzo sighs. “Fine, Nishinoya. Then we’ll do this the hard way.”

‘The hard way’, as it turns out, involves tying Noya’s wrists to the railing at the tip of the bow of the boat. Noya's too weak from the air and too uncoordinated with his new body to fight them off as he's hauled up and manhandled into the position they want. The sports boat is large and tall enough that, with Noya’s lack of height, his tail hovers just above the water. Noya squirms desperately, trying in vain to either loosen the ropes or somehow toss himself in the water. It’s impossible - he’s held fast and can’t move.

Lorenzo calls to him from the deck above. “Either you’ll dry out or the other mers will come to rescue you. And either way, I’ll end up with something I want. So the choice is yours, Nishinoya - are you going to tell me about the others?”

 _“There’s no others!”_ Noya’s voice comes raspier now as he dangles in the salty air. “It’s _just me_ , dammit!”

His heart slams erratically against his ribcage and he grinds his teeth. He’s never felt so fucking _helpless_ in his life as he does right now, and there’s _nothing_ he can do. Either Asahi is going to be snagged by poachers when he shows up for their meeting, or Noya’s going to dehydrate and die here. His throat closes tight and his gills flutter as he tries in vain to continue breathing evenly. Out of these two terrible options, he knows which one he would prefer - he would rather this be where he meets his end.

 _Find another way._ But right now Noya _can’t_ find that other way.

Suddenly he sees a glimmer of blue in the ocean beneath him and he freezes. _No!_ If Asahi is close enough to see the boat, he must know the danger he’s in. Noya thrashes, shakes his head frantically, and desperately wills Asahi to leave him and stay alive. He knows there’s nets and worse poised for the instant that anything breaks the water’s surface, and Noya’s heart clenches at the memory of how terrified Asahi had looked the first time he’d been trapped in a net.

And this time, Noya can’t save him.

From above and behind him, Noya hears a metallic thunk and the sound of shattering glass. He tries to wrench his head to look. What’s going on back there? He can’t see, but Lorenzo and his two men are certainly angry enough about it based on their yelling. But he’s distracted by a splash from below and Noya gasps when he sees _Asahi_. He’s propelled himself into the air, blue scales shimmering as he stretches to grab the railing that Noya’s tied to. Determination paints his features and he grabs on tightly, refusing to let go of the metal and plunge into the safety of the waves below.

Heavy boots thud across the deck towards them and Noya shakes his head frantically. “Asahi, _run,_ ” he pleads hoarsely. “He’s gonna - ”

That metallic thunk rends the air once more before there’s a sound of fiberglass being punctured from somewhere _very_ close, and the footsteps abruptly stop. Noya clenches his teeth in anticipation, terrified for Asahi and bracing for hands to grab them both, when he hears a booming, familiar voice.

“ ** _HEY!_ ** ” Noya looks up at the sound and gapes in amazement at the sight of the _Crow’s Nest_ emerging from the fog and rounding on the starboard bow. But perhaps most amazing is the sight of Ukai, one foot boosted on the railing as he hoists a giant speargun. His other hand moves quickly to reload it and his eyes narrow, glaring down at the man behind Noya. “Let. The mers. _Go._ ” He bares his teeth and Noya suddenly remembers why he tries _very_ hard to never piss off Ukai. “ _I won’t miss again._ ”

Noya hears Lorenzo’s voice from above and behind him. “Ukai!” he snarls up at the other man. “You had best ship out of here. This has nothing to do with you!”

“Actually, _sir,_ it has plenty to do with us.” Suddenly Takeda appears beside Ukai, his windbreaker fluttering in the ocean breeze. There’s a tranquil fury to his voice that rocks Noya to the core. “I’ve had no choice but to let you pass until now, but you’re officially breaking our laws. We’ll be taking you in.”

“What?!” Lorenzo tosses his head back and laughs. “What possible laws could you have? Mers were thought to be extinct since the eighties - you have _nothing_ and the Port Authority can’t do a _damn_ thing!”

Noya can hear Asahi’s quick breathing and feel his arms tremble on either side of him. He can’t tell if it’s from fear or exertion, but Noya tries again to reason with him.

“Asahi,” he pleads, his voice even drier now. Noya’s dehydrating so rapidly he can barely think straight anymore. “Asahi - get away - _please_ \- ” 

Asahi’s lips tremble and his eyes are wide and wet; he’s on the verge of tears. He leans in and touches his forehead to Noya’s. It’s a comforting gesture on its own, but then it goes deeper without warning.

It’s _electrifying_ \- in that moment, Noya can _feel_ Asahi’s determination to save him. He can’t “hear” any specific words - it’s not true telepathy - but he’s overwhelmed by the knowledge and the promise that Asahi won’t leave him. The feeling hits him so strongly that after a moment Noya’s no longer sure if it’s Asahi’s feeling or his own. But as he swallows thickly and presses his forehead harder against Asahi’s, he finds it doesn’t matter. A few tears slip down his cheeks from just how acutely he feels Asahi’s love.

“I have something, and the Port Authority _can_ do something!” Takeda’s firm voice startles Noya back to the present and breaks their connection. “Karasuno bylaw 01.10 - ” Noya watches as Takeda’s eyes flick down to his phone and he reads aloud from the screen. “ _If one should cause harm to befall any creature of the sea numbering fewer than the humans of Karasuno, they shall be punished to the fullest extent of the law._ ” His eyes glint as he pockets the phone. “And as far as we know, there are only two mers in Karasuno. As you can see, there are considerably higher numbers of humans, even just standing right here. If you release them now, the Port Authority might consider leniency.”

There’s a long moment of silence in which Asahi and Noya lock eyes. They’re both breathing harder now and Noya presses his forehead weakly to Asahi’s.

“Start the boat!” Lorenzo’s sharp voice cuts through the air and Asahi looks at Noya with terror in his eyes. “Get us out of here!”

Footsteps dash towards the starter but a new voice chimes in: “Like _hell_ you will!” Noya looks up and is astounded by the sight of Saeko throwing herself from the deck of the _Crow’s Nest_. She sails through the air and lands on the deck of Lorenzo’s boat. She hits the ground hard but bounces to her feet with no trouble and runs for the man frantically trying to beat her to the controls.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Lorenzo roars. He rushes over to try and grab Saeko; if he can stop her here then the _Crow's Nest_ has lost their Chekhov's gun and they'll slip away into the haze.

“Saeko!” Takeda calls, gripping the railing and leaning over it. “Please be careful!” Clearly he wishes it hadn’t gone like this, but there’s little he can do. The rest of the Port Authority is likely on their way, but who knows how long it will take them to arrive?

Asahi bites his lip and reaches with one shaking hand for the ropes binding Noya to the railing, trying not to waste the gift of time he's been given. He’s struggling to hold himself up with one hand and work at Noya’s bonds with the other, but he refuses to give up.

“Keishin!” Noya hears Saeko shout between the sounds of punching. “If he touches Yuu or the other one before I get there, sink him!”

Ukai grins darkly and prepares the speargun once more. “Just hurry up already; I don’t want to take you down with him.”

Asahi’s fingers tremble and Noya can tell he’s struggling to hold on. His grip slips and panic crosses his face as he scrabbles to right himself.

Quick steps pound across the deck and skid to a stop just behind Noya’s head. The fact that he can’t see what’s happening makes things even worse and he thrashes weakly with what little strength he still has. There’s a heavy thump and Noya cranes his head back as far as he can, trying to see. His eyes widen at the sight of Saeko looming protectively over them. “Hey!” she says. “I dropped my cutters. Get him out and I’ll hold these guys off.”

It takes Noya’s fuzzy brain a moment too long to realize she’s talking to Asahi. Noya’s fading fast; his gaze is hazy as it finds Asahi’s. His boyfriend grapples for the tool nearby and shakily brings it up to where Noya’s tied. He looks terrified of the sharp point, like he’s afraid of hurting Noya, but he slides the blade up and under the rope, trying to saw through it. The entire situation reminds Noya so much of their first meeting that he can’t stop the tiny smile that crosses his face.

“...’sahi…” Noya manages to rasp out. Asahi’s eyes flicker to him briefly and his hand pauses so he can hear Noya. “...’m...s-s’rry…”

Asahi’s eyes go wide and his mouth moves frantically like he’s saying something, but Noya can’t hear anything over the rushing of the blood in his ears. His eyes feel so heavy and they drop closed despite his best efforts to keep them open. He feels the ropes around his wrists snapping and then it feels like he’s falling.

The last thing he remembers before everything goes dark is two arms wrapping around him and holding him close, and a cold splash.


	12. Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conclusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took so long. Thank you for your patience. <3

A sharp inhale sends water flowing through Noya’s gills and his eyes fly open. _I can breathe again._ He takes a moment to try and gather his bearings, focusing on the ceiling riddled with…air holes…? It takes him a moment to realize that he’s lying under a bed of coral, safe from the currents of the ocean.

His sharp gasp draws the attention of the other person in the room. Noya feels a warm hand grip his and turns his head, smiling broadly when he sees Asahi staring at him. Asahi leans against the side of the bed of sponge and moss, close as he can to Noya and eyes wide.

“Asahi,” Noya says, and Asahi’s face crumples in relief as he slowly leans in to touch their foreheads together. The fingers of his free hand gently lace into Noya’s hair to clutch him closer as they finally touch for the first time in far too long.

“ _Noya,_ ” Asahi whispers, voice thick with tears that Noya already feels stinging his eyes, too. “Oh my god, you’re _okay…_ ”

Noya places his hand on Asahi’s cheek. “You saved me,” he says, closing his eyes. “If you hadn’t, I would have been in trouble.” His memories are fuzzy, but he knows that whatever happened was very, _very_ close to killing him.

“I know.” Asahi's breath catches. “Noya...I thought I had lost you…when he took you, I could feel how _scared_ and _angry_ you were. I didn’t know what had happened to you, a-and then I saw…” He swallows and presses his lips together. “I saw him h-hurt you.”

With their foreheads touching, Noya sees a glimpse of memory from Asahi’s perspective - Asahi hides behind rocks when he sees the ship on the waves, but he tries to emerge when he hears Noya yelling and fighting. Only an overwhelming burst of thought from Noya, agonized over the image of Asahi being captured by these men, pins Asahi in place. He literally can't move for how strong Noya's fear for Asahi's life is. Noya now also has a word to describe the sensations he's feeling, that they're sharing: _bonded._

It jars Noya to see himself scooped up by Lorenzo through Asahi’s eyes and his fingers tighten around Asahi’s as the memories begin to trickle back. The sharp slap to Noya's face makes them both wince and Asahi breaks their connection by pulling Noya's face to the crook of his throat. “I don't want you to see the rest,” he admits. “You already had to live through it once.”

He did, that's true. And yet Noya thinks about how Asahi is shouldering the burden by himself and wants to argue that they should face it together - but then the last flickers of memory before he lost consciousness spark into a flame. 

_My crew was there!_

He pulls back enough to look up at Asahi with wide eyes. “What happened to my friends?”

“The humans?” Asahi looks concerned, too, as he places a hand on Noya’s chest to keep him lying down as long as possible. “I haven’t seen them since - b-but Daichi and Suga have!” he adds quickly when Noya strains to get out of bed. “They went back to talk to them after we got you into the water.”

That makes sense, but Noya squirms with impatience. “I need to see them,” he says. “I need to let them know I'm okay.”

“Once you're feeling better,” Asahi says, ”I'll...I'll go with you to the surface.”

That gives Noya pause and he settles. Even after everything they've been through, Asahi is still willing to get close to the shore because Noya wants to see his family - to give them a chance to see that he's alive. Asahi is willing to take the huge risk of being seen because he'd rather know Noya is safe and not alone. 

Noya links their fingers and looks down at how they lace in their laps. “Are you sure?” he asks, offering Asahi an out. 

But Asahi just nods. “I need to thank them, too,” he says quietly. “They helped me get to you.”

Now Noya’s ears perk up. “They helped you?” he repeats, to which Asahi nods again. “How did you even - ”

Before he can get more information, a familiar voice interrupts. “Is he awake?” Noya and Asahi look up as Suga pops his head into the room. A relieved smile crosses the silver merman’s face and he swims over to them, heedless of how Asahi turns bright red when the relieved smile turns a little more salacious at how close together they are.

“Suga!” Noya calls, also heedless of Asahi’s embarrassment. Instead he tightens his grip around Asahi’s hand and sits up further, clearly ready to shoot out of bed. “Hey, Asahi says you saw the humans?”

Suga agrees to give Noya the information he wants if he promises to stay in bed. “You nearly suffocated, Nishinoya,” he says, and for the first time since Noya has met him, Suga’s voice is so quiet and deadly serious that he’s compelled to do as he’s told. 

Once Noya has reclined and is lying close to flat again, Suga softens and continues. “Yes. Daichi and I went back up to the surface once everything calmed down. Your town’s enforcers were still close by, but the man with glasses managed to keep them away from us.”

( _Enforcers?_ It takes a moment for Noya to realize he must be talking about the Port Authority.)

Suga pulls up a squishy-looking tuber and sinks into it to continue his story. “They were worried about you,” he says. “It’s been a few days since then, but we’ve gone up at sundown every day to keep them updated.”

“A few days?!” Noya’s horrified to know how long he’s been out of commission and fights again to sit himself up. Both Asahi and Suga’s hands come to practically push him back down and he groans. “They’re gonna _freak!_ ”

“They’re gonna freak _more_ if you hurt yourself worse now!” Suga fires back, sounding more than a little exasperated.

“Please, Noya,” Asahi says, and it’s the little waver to his tone that makes Noya settle back down. “We’ll go see them as soon as we can.”

Noya sighs softly and gives Asahi a smile. “Alright,” he says, then laughs. “Ugh, sorry guys. I know I’m a pain in the ass.”

“Maybe, but humans usually are,” Suga says with a cheeky grin.

The tension dissipates when Noya laughs again, more heartily this time. “I’m not a human anymore!” he says with a wiggle of his tail. “It’s been a wild few days since I got this thing and I can’t wait to try it out!”

Suga tilts his head consideringly before sliding a sly look to Asahi. “Well...I’m sure we can take you out for a few pointers. Make sure you’re set, and if you do well, we can go up to the surface tonight and let your friends know that you’re okay.” He abruptly looks down at his wrist ( _as if mermen wear watches_ , Noya snickers to himself) and gives an almost exaggerated gasp. “Oh! Look at the time. I should go let Daichi know you’re awake.” He rises and heads for the door. “Asahi, you can take Nishinoya out to teach him how to use his tail, right?”  
  
“A-ah, Suga!” Asahi calls frantically after him, face turning just as red as the first time they met, and Noya laughs. “What are you - ”

“Can’t hear you! I’m gone!” Suga calls cheerfully from outside.

Noya can’t stop grinning. “Oh man,” he says. “He sure knows how to make you blush.”

Asahi covers his face with his hands and groans. “He and Daichi both,” he mumbles between his fingers.

Carefully Noya links their fingers once more and pulls Asahi’s hands away from his face, smile growing when he sees Asahi’s bright brown eyes. “I love your smile,” he says, “and I love your face. Even if you’re embarrassed, lookin’ at you is my favorite thing.”

If Noya’s intention was to reassure Asahi and make him feel less embarrassed, it fails miserably as Asahi lets out a squeak and turns - somehow - even redder. “Noya,” he mumbles, but then he smiles. “...thank you. I - I like seeing you, too.”

Golden scales shimmer as Noya’s tail drapes over the side of the bed and the fins brush against Asahi’s tail. “Guess what?” he grins. “You get to see me every day now.”

Asahi’s embarrassment melts into genuine warmth and joy as he breaks out into a beautiful smile that makes Noya feel like his head is swimming. “I do,” he agrees happily before leaning in to touch his forehead to Noya’s once more.

Images of a future shared fill Noya’s mind: swimming together in the currents, playing with the fish, exploring the ocean’s depths together. The consistent image throughout it all is their interlocked fingers, staying together through everything that the land and the sea can throw at them.

When Noya opens his eyes, Asahi is smiling and Noya knows that he must have seen the images, too - maybe even added a few of them. He slowly rises and pulls Noya up from the bed, going carefully to ensure he’s steady and safe. Once Noya floats before him, Asahi looks him up and down before giving him a little nod. “Noya...would you like me to show you how to swim?”

Noya grins and switches his tail in the water. “Absolutely.”

…

When they return to the pier after an hour or so of swimming practice, a hand thumps down on Noya’s head the instant he breaks the surface. It’s the smell of cigarette smoke that keeps him from panicking and Noya splutters indignantly instead. “Ukai!”

“Nishinoya.” Ukai glowers down at him from where he lays on the pier so he can reach the water. “Do I even wanna know how the hell you did this to yourself?”

“I’m not in the mood for another asschewing after Ryuu and Chikara finished with me,” Noya says flatly, “so probably not.”

“At least you know whatever you did was stupid.” Ukai releases his hair and sits up, fumbling in his pockets for his lighter. He grabs the cigarette tucked behind his ear and lights it before placing it between his lips. 

Noya hears a splash as Asahi hesitantly surfaces as well, looking up at Ukai a bit nervously. To the older man’s credit, he doesn’t flinch as he takes a deep inhale of the cigarette. “Hey again,” he says with a short nod.

“Hello again,” Asahi says, a bit less nervous than Noya would have expected, and Noya knows there’s something that he missed. “Thank you.”

There’s a moment of silence as Ukai slowly blows out the smoke. “I’m just glad you found us,” he says. “Noya.”

Being addressed so suddenly makes Noya perk up. “Yeah?”

“You found a good one.” Ukai inhales again. “He was scared shitless but came right up to the _Crow’s Nest_ after we boarded ‘cause he wanted to rescue you and knew he needed help.”

Knowing just how terrified Asahi is of humans, and knowing how he conquered that for Noya’s sake, makes something tighten in Noya’s throat. He looks at Asahi, whose hair has slipped into his face as he reaches under the water for Noya’s hand.

From Noya’s position he hears footsteps creaking along the old dock, and beside him Asahi drops further into the water. “It’s Takeda and Saeko,” Ukai says, and Asahi seems to relax marginally.

Sure enough, the other two join them at the end of the pier and sit. Noya hoists himself up happily, upper torso resting against the warm wood of the dock. “You guys really saved my tail,” he says, then yelps when Saeko makes a sudden lunge for him. “Sis!”

“Nishinoya Yuu!” she barks, throwing herself flat on the dock to seize his arm before he can get away. “You owe us a _goddamn explanation!_ Ryuu came barging into the bar with Chikara, screaming that you’d been grabbed by poachers and _oh yeah by the way Yuu’s a merman now!_ ” She looks like she’s about ready to either hug him or strangle him and Noya isn’t sure which is on the table at this moment in time.

“Saeko,” Takeda tries, though he doesn’t really make a move to stop her. He has an almost reproachful look on his face as he looks down at Noya.

“I know, I know!” Noya squirms both in Saeko’s grip and under Takeda’s gaze. “Lemme go; you’re scaring Asahi.” Saeko softens a little at that and Noya slips back down into the water when she releases him. “Jeez,” Noya groans, rubbing his arm.

“Ah…” Asahi makes a sound and they all turn to him. “I’m sorry for the trouble. Noya wouldn’t have - if it wasn’t for me - ”

“Oh, stop,” Saeko says to him. “We love Yuu, and he loves you, so don’t even apologize. You didn't do anything wrong.” When Noya seems to relax at that she rounds abruptly on him. “You are _not_ off the hook, Yuu! You scared the shit out of all of us!”

“Jeez, I know!” Noya throws his hands up defensively. “Look, just let me explain, okay?”

He outlines the past few weeks - saving Asahi from one of their nets, getting pulled into the water by Daichi and Suga, getting to see the ocean, his transformation - all of it. He does have to pause a few times to dip into the water to rehydrate, but eventually he finishes his story. When he’s done, he looks to the three adult figures in his life, and - well, it’s not like he’s hoping for their _approval,_ exactly, but it would be super if they weren’t _pissed_ at him.

Ukai sighs and looks like he wishes he had another cigarette as his has burned down to almost nothing through Noya’s story. “Look, Nishinoya.” Ukai runs a hand through his hair, accidentally loosening his hairband in the process. “This is _really_ goddamn weird. But not really unexpected. Nobody can keep you out of the water. If you’d come to me a week ago and said you were gonna live in a submarine, that would probably be only a bit less weird than this.” He exhales slowly, smoke curling around him.

“When you promised not to get yourself into trouble, I had a feeling that trouble would find you anyway.” Takeda chuckles. “But I admit I didn’t expect _this_ to be the kind of trouble.” Noya laughs, too, but then Takeda’s expression takes a turn for the serious. “We just want to be sure you’re safe,” he says. “What happened today...if Tanaka hadn’t been able to get to us in time, I don’t know what would have happened, Nishinoya. If you had come to us with your plan first, we could have helped.” He rubs the back of his head. “Though I suppose, all things considered, I understand why you didn’t feel comfortable coming to us about mermen.”

Noya looks down, properly chagrined. He knows he was careless. If he’d trusted them, he might have been able to mitigate that agonizing half-hour when he’d transformed - even if it was just having someone be there to make sure he got into water right away. He might have had some protection when he went to get to the ocean, too.

Saeko slips into the water suddenly and Noya flinches, sure that he’s going to be punched. He’s surprised when her arms wrap around him instead. “I thought they were going to kill you,” she says, her voice low. “You should have told us what you were doing, Yuu.” Her temple presses to his and Noya doesn’t think he’s imagining the way her lips tremble so hard he can feel it in his cheekbones.

He bites his lip and hugs her back just as tightly. “I’m sorry,” he says to all of them. “You all came to save me and I’m - _really,_ really glad you did.”

“You’re lucky I still had gramps’ old gun,” Ukai says gruffly. “Even luckier it actually _worked_ , since he never used the thing.” Noya _knows_ how lucky he is; he’s seen the elder Ukai’s speargun before, mounted on the wall at Ukai’s place. Frankly Noya hadn’t thought it was operational, just decorative.

“What happened to those guys…?” Asahi finally speaks up, nervously looking around like he expects the poachers to appear again and try to grab them.

“The Port Authority has their hands full with them,” Takeda says, leaning over to offer Saeko his hand as she hauls herself out of the water and back onto the dock. “Once they actually broke Karasuno’s laws, we were able to arrest them. The bylaw cited is hundreds of years old and indicates that the prison term is the length of five years for every scale on a mer, so we may have to ask to see your tail for a final count.” A tiny smile curls his lips and Noya’s surprised by the hidden devious streak in the gentle, unassuming man.

Asahi visibly relaxes to know that they’re gone. It doesn’t mean there won’t be others, but it means that all of the mers who live in the Karasuno grottos are safe for a while longer.

A phone buzzes in Ukai’s pocket and he grabs it before tossing it to Saeko. (With how frequently she hurls herself in the water, he’s usually holding onto her phone too.) “It’s yours.”

Her nimble fingers snatch it and she checks the message. “It’s Ryuu,” she says. “He and Chikara are on their way.”

Noya and Asahi exchange a brief look. Noya knows what this is. It sinks in that he’s really saying goodbye. Of course he doesn’t regret it, and he knows he can surface whenever he feels like it, but there’s still a sense of permanence. Things won’t be exactly the same. That feeling intensifies when they all move to stand, and Noya’s throat tightens. He hurries to pull himself up onto the dock again, tail still in the water.

“Guys.” They all look down at him. “I - it means a lot. That you’re all cool about this.” He swallows hard.

“It truly wasn’t too much of a surprise,” Takeda says gently. “This really is where you belong, Nishinoya.”

Ukai pauses in his attempt to rise and props his cheek against his fist. “Don’t worry too much about us. I’ll find someone else to bring in the hauls. Maybe Narita’s looking for more shifts. But if I find _you_ in my net, I’m kicking your ass.”

Asahi seems mildly horrified by that but Noya just laughs. This is just the relationship that Noya and Ukai have, and this is how Ukai says goodbye. “I got it, I got it,” Noya snickers.

“You’re not getting away from us that easily,” Saeko says confidently. “We’ll see you again, Yuu.”

“Of course you will!” A cheeky grin crosses Noya’s face as he slaps his chest. “You’ll see me so much you’ll wish I stayed underwater all the time!”

“Not a chance in hell of that!” Tanaka’s voice calls from the end of the docks, footsteps thumping down the wood.

Asahi speaks quickly before they can turn away. “Thank you,” he says. “I couldn't have saved Noya without you.”

“We're just so glad you found us in time, Asahi,” Takeda says. “The plan would never have succeeded without us all working together.”

 _I need to find out what I missed sometime,_ Noya thinks as he looks between the important people in his life. 

Saeko grins and the rest of the crew take Tanaka's appearance as their cue. “Take care, Yuu,” she calls. They all leave, and Tanaka and Ennoshita come to the end of the dock.

Asahi looks between Noya and the other two men, clearly nervous. “Um,” he starts and immediately regrets it when they all turn to look at him. “Noya, I’ll let you three - ”

“Nah, hang tight,” Tanaka says. “I wanna meet the guy that Yuu fell for.”

Ennoshita gives Asahi a comforting smile. “You don’t have to be afraid of us,” he says. “Ryuu’s not as scary as he looks.”

“Hey!” But despite his indignation, Tanaka laughs. “I'm plenty scary!”

“Mean mug all you want,” Ennoshita says, “but we know the truth.”

Asahi does not look entirely reassured by this, so Noya takes the initiative to introduce them. “Ryuu, Chikara - this is Asahi. Asahi - Ryuu and Chikara.”

“It's nice to meet you,” Asahi murmurs, and Noya links their fingers under the water to support him. “You two are the ones I heard on the beach...right?”

Noya looks at them both curiously. He hadn't realized that they'd both stayed close by after putting him in the water - though he's not surprised to have it confirmed when Tanaka nods. 

“I was ready to run after them,” he admits. “We heard you yelling and fighting, but Chikara held me back.”

“There were twice as many of them as us, and they were twice as big as us,” Ennoshita says. “It was hard to stay back and just run for help, but he was going to get himself killed like that.”

Relief flows through Noya to know that Ennoshita was level headed as ever and kept them both safe. “Good,” he declares firmly. “That would have been real stupid, Ryuu.”

Now Tanaka turns on him with blazing eyes and brows drawn in a scowl. “Oh no, you don't wanna play this game with me,” he warns. “Cause ya know what _else_ is stupid, Yuu?”

“Oh, come on - ”

But Tanaka continues as if Noya hasn't spoken. “How ‘bout askin’ us to just dump you on the sand when there was a known poacher in town?”

Noya continues to valiantly try to fight back against Tanaka's verbal onslaught. “I didn't want you two to get pulled in or scare Asahi - ” 

“What about not gettin’ in a bathtub before transforming yourself?” Tanaka leans down over the edge of the pier to point right in Noya's face. 

“Look, I didn't think it worked that quick - ”

“Or how about drinking a potion that you bought off of the _goddamned internet_ while you were _alone?!_ ” Now Tanaka is yelling, Ennoshita is laughing, and Asahi just looks at Noya in horror.

“Oh my god,” Asahi blurts so loudly and abruptly that everyone goes quiet and turns to him. He doesn't even seem embarrassed by the fact that he's brought the very one-sided verbal beatdown to a screeching halt. “Noya, you did _what?!”_

Ennoshita stops laughing and rubs his temples. “Oh, Noya, you didn’t even tell him?”

Noya squirms. It’s hard to make him uncomfortable, but Asahi’s wide, pleading eyes and his friends’ obvious disapproval is doing it. “I just didn’t get to yet,” he says. He’d mentioned the potion to his friends during his story, but not the fact that he’d drunk the potion alone and nearly suffocated on his bathroom floor. 

“Noya…” Asahi reaches out and grabs his hands. Worry is evident on his face. “I wish you had told me,” he finally says. “Maybe we could have gotten you in the ocean first.” 

“With Lorenzo around I didn't know if I'd get a chance to find you first,” Noya admits. “But hey! It worked out!”

“Because you had us,” Tanaka cuts in with a grin and lightly pound to his chest. 

Asahi’s eyes shift from Noya's and look up the pier at Tanaka. “Um,” he says, and Tanaka turns to him with a curious noise. “Thank you both for always being there for Noya.” He swallows and his gills flutter nervously with his unsteady breath. “He's always told me a lot about you.”

Noya watches Tanaka's lip disappear between his teeth - his nervous tell. He's a little embarrassed. “Well, y’know,” he mumbles. “We're friends.”

They've already said their goodbyes, but there's a sudden lump in Noya's throat that he can't swallow around and he looks up at his friends. “For sure,” he says. There's more, but he can't quite get it out. Again he feels that sense of permanence, that last goodbye after which everything will change. 

Thankfully Ennoshita knows what Noya's trying to say and he turns to Tanaka. “Hey, why don't you two do a circle around the marina,” he says. “I bet Noya's even faster than you now.”

The challenge sparks a fire in Tanaka and he tears off his shirt with a roar before diving into the ocean. Noya cackles as his friend cannonballs into the water, splashing both he and Asahi (who, to his credit, is laughing as well - albeit a bit nervously). Tanaka surfaces again with a loud gasp, tossing his head back almost majestically and sending water spraying. 

“It probably looks cooler when you have hair,” Tanaka says flatly, and then Asahi _does_ laugh. That breaking tension fills Noya with so much relief, and he knows that this merging of his two worlds is the best decision he’s ever made.

Asahi smiles to see just how happy and alive Noya is in this moment, and he knows what he has to do. “Noya...I’ll see you in a little bit, okay?”

Noya looks to Asahi and his expression softens. “Alright,” he says. “We’ll be back!”

He and Tanaka break away, swimming parallel to shore and away from the dock. Neither of them speak for the first few minutes, though Noya can feel Tanaka’s eyes on his tail as it occasionally shimmers beneath the water or peeks above the waves.

They’re a few meters away from the pier before Noya breaks the silence. “You and Chikara saved my ass,” he says evenly. “I didn’t know you two were still on the beach.”

“You really think we were just gonna drop you in the tide and bail?” Tanaka scoffs out a mouthful of seawater. “I knew Sis and Ukai would be able to help, I just had to get to them. The assclown didn’t even see us.”

“I'm glad he didn't,” Noya mutters darkly. “I don't even wanna think about what he would have done to you two.”

“Then don't.” Tanaka shakes his head. “The Port Authority is dealing with him and it's over, so don't think about it.”

True - and really, Noya would rather not, all things considered. “Still, you two came through for me.”

A smirk crosses Tanaka's face. “We’ve got your back - on land, at least. Asahi's gonna have your back in the water now.”

The reminder of what he's diving into makes Noya smile in a dreamy and warm way as they continue along. Little butterflies (seahorses?) flutter in his stomach and he turns to look at Tanaka, who's stopped swimming and watches him. 

It’s a moment before he speaks. “Look, Yuu.” Tanaka pauses. “Are we gonna miss you? Don’t be stupid; _course_ we are. But this really seems like it’s where you’ve gotta be.”

Noya nods as he stops beside where Tanaka stands in the sandbank. “It is,” he says. “It’s where I’ve wanted to be all my life.”

“I know.” The waves lap around them as they stop. “And now you found someone as crazy about it as you.” Tanaka grins. “He’s got it bad for you, Noya. Don’t let him go.”

“Not a chance!” Noya does a little circle around Tanaka. “Next time I surface for a visit you better have a ring on Chikara’s finger!”

“Shhh!” Tanaka’s whisper is so sharp that Noya’s worried he offended him - for about half a second, until he sees how red his face is. “Keep it down, will ya?”

“Keep it down?!” Noya cackles. “We're nowhere near them!”

Grumbling, Tanaka scratches his head. “I’m tryin’ to figure out the right moment, alright?”

It takes a second to sink in. But then it hits Noya and he understands why Tanaka is being secretive. “Oh my _god_.” Noya’s face lights up with glee. “Dude! Get it, Ryuu! It’s about time!”

“Yeah, I decided I wanted to ask this year, you pain in the ass.” But Tanaka’s grinning just as widely as Noya splashes him with his tail. “Pretty sure you're not gonna be able to wear suit pants to the wedding with that thing.”

“You say that like I would wear suit pants anyway!”

Tanaka throws his head back with a laugh. “You're right - you'd show up in a new pair of swim shorts and say it was high fashion!”

“Say that again!” Noya hollers with a wicked grin before diving towards Tanaka. They both inhale seawater when they go under (it affects one of them more than the other) and roll towards the shore before beginning to playfully grapple in the surf. 

They wrestle for a little bit, hands grabbing at each other to fight for the top. Tanaka's always been broader but Noya's always been more spry and it leaves the eventual outcome of their fight up in the air. It's like they're kids again (okay, they did this a few weeks ago too), cracking each other up with their absolutely ridiculous maneuvers. Noya grabs Tanaka's shoulders and shouts “ROLLING THUNDER!” before trying to roll himself out from beneath his friend. But he slips in the sand and flops uselessly, making them both break out in a fresh wave of laughter. Tanaka laughs so hard he can't hold himself up anymore, and in that moment where neither can breathe from their mirth Noya knows nothing will change between them.

When they break apart a few minutes later, both still giggling, Noya sits up in the sand and punches Tanaka’s shoulder. “Hey. Take care, man.” Their laughter dies down to gasping breaths and Noya looks at his best friend with warmth in his eyes. “You know where to find me.”

A tiny _oof_ is squeezed out of him when Tanaka fiercely grabs him, but Noya manages to return the hug just as hard. “Damn straight.” Tanaka’s voice is definitely thicker and breaks slightly against Noya's ear. “Take care, Yuu.”

When they finally pull apart, something has shifted. They know that the time has come and that they need to return to their friends, so they swim back together silently. But it's a comfortable silence that they've shared many times over the years, and despite the shift the air and sea are light around them. 

Ennoshita feels it when they swim up to the pier and Tanaka climbs out of the water. He hands his boyfriend his shirt and watches him pull it on before straightening up. 

“We'll keep an eye on your place, Yuu. If you ever want to visit, just come either here or to your old backyard,” Ennoshita says. 

“Just move in, it's yours,” Noya says with a wave of his hand. “No sense you guys paying rent when my place is paid off and I'm not gonna be living in it anymore.”

Ennoshita's eyes widen and he looks to Tanaka, who's just as comically surprised. “...sometime when you surface we have to figure out the legalities behind you turning into a merman and - for all intents and purposes, disappearing,” Ennoshita says in bewilderment, “but - if you're sure - ”

Noya smirks and lets his tail peek from the water. “Really sure me and stairs don't get along anymore,” he grins. “Just take it.”

“We won't wreck the place, I promise,” Tanaka says, and Noya almost believes him. They all chuckle before Tanaka continues. “Asahi!” he declares with a point of his finger. 

“Y-yes?” The merman looks up at Tanaka. 

“Take care of Yuu for us.” He smiles and takes Ennoshita’s hand. “And yourself, too!”

Asahi's smile is as bright and beautiful as his scales as he nods thankfully. “You, too. And I'm sure we’ll meet again soon.”

“Hell yeah we will! Even if I have to dive in there myself and find your scaly ass, Yuu!” Tanaka booms, and Noya _does_ believe that. 

One thing Noya knows for sure is that if they don't leave now, it will be harder to say goodbye. With one last cheeky grin, he waves before taking Asahi's hand and diving into the next oncoming wave. 

They swim together for a while, just taking in each others’ presence and enjoying being together for the first time in what feels like forever. Noya's still just as clumsy as the first time they swam together, but just as before Asahi is patient and waits for him to catch up. 

They're out in the open ocean before Asahi speaks again. “I'm glad I met your friends.”

“Me too!” Noya tries to do a crooked little circle around Asahi. “Under better circumstances, for sure. I think Sis loves you almost as much as I do. I'm sure I'm gonna hear about it next time.”

Asahi smiles and tucks a piece of hair behind his ear; it seems to be a mostly useless nervous gesture as the water makes it float back out of place just as quickly. “They're good humans. They saved our lives...and they’re your family.”

Noya chuckles. Not a single one of them is related to him by blood, but they’re all _family_. They found each other and have always stuck together no matter what comes their way. “Yeah,” he says, “they are.”

Asahi hesitates momentarily before continuing on, looking at Noya with hesitation clearly visible in his deep brown eyes. “And you...you gave them up? For me?”

Noya frowns before swimming quickly behind Asahi and flopping across his back. (Hmm, Noya’s preferred tactic of jumping on people doesn’t exactly translate in the water. He’ll have to remember that.) “What do you sound so surprised for?” he demands. “I can still see ‘em! Like you and me did for a while. It’ll just be like I moved away to another town or something!”

“O-oh.” Bless his anxious boyfriend; Noya can tell that hadn’t even crossed Asahi’s mind.

“Seriously, Asahi. Ask any of ‘em. They've been picking on me for years that I'm pretty much a fish with how much time I spend in the water.” He snickers and wraps his arms around Asahi's shoulders. 

“That's true,” Asahi admits. This is something they've discussed at length before. “But - ”

Noya cuts him off before more doubts can fester, swimming back around to face Asahi. He claps his hands against Asahi’s cheeks firmly. “Remember what I said that night when I promised to find a way?” He pauses to see if Asahi will fill in the memory (he does not). “I. Want. To be. With _you_.” Each phrase is punctuated with a light but firm pat to Asahi’s cheeks. “Don’t you forget it, Asahi!”

Asahi’s cheeks go warm beneath Noya’s hands, but he nods. “...okay,” he agrees, then smiles. “I promise.”

“Awesome!” Noya grins and stops squishing Asahi’s face, wiggling his tail. “And hey, we've got the rest of our lives for me to remind you.”

That brings a genuine happiness to Asahi's eyes and he smiles, reaching for Noya's hands. “We do,” he agrees eagerly. “You found a way. And there's so much I have to teach you now!”

“Please take care of me!” Noya says, his heart melting at how soft and excited Asahi is now that he understands this is _really_ forever. “I'm in your hands.”

Asahi looks down at their interlocked fingers and smiles before gently squeezing them. “You are,” he says. “Right where I hoped you'd be.”

Noya grins and Asahi’s smile grows. It takes Noya a moment to realize that they're at the coral reef where Asahi first took him - how fitting that their relationship began in the same place their lives together are beginning. He chuckles when the beautiful fish - no longer little babies - emerge from the coral and swirl happily around the two mers. 

The sea washes away the last of the land as their lips meet with the spark of a new beginning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy hell. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for your patience. 
> 
> Endless thanks to Mal, who listened to me cry about this story. To my fiancé, who has never ending patience with every fandom I'm in. 
> 
> And thank you, for reading. 
> 
> <3


End file.
